James Webb, then and now

James Webb’s campaign for the Virginia Senate seat is becoming less and less honorable. In 1997, Webb had this to say about President Clinton:

I cannot conjure up an ounce of respect for Bill Clinton when it comes to the military. Every time I see him salute a Marine, it infuriates me. I don’t think Bill Clinton cares one iota about what happens in a military unit.

In 2000, Webb called the Clinton presidency “the most corrupt administration in modern memory.”
Yesterday, however, Webb could not have been more cozy with Clinton, whom he brought to the state for a fundraiser. The facile Webb attempted to explain away his past pronouncements by claiming that his dislike of Clinton was based on the Vietnam era, and that all of that was wiped away on 9/11.
Webb did not explain why he would suddenly believe on 9/12 that Clinton, whose unwillingness to use force against al Qaeda led to 9/11, cared about the military. Equally unclear was why 9/11 would wipe the slate clean with respect to Clinton’s corruption.
The real reason for Webb’s new benign view of Clinton is, of course, his own opportunism and political ambition.
Via NRO’s John Miller.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses