James Webb, who led a Marine Corps rifle company in the Vietnam War and then wrote “Fields of Fire,” one of the war’s most acclaimed novels, came to Northern Virginia on Tuesday to launch his Senate race, pledging to shift the U.S. focus from the war in Iraq back to the war on terror.
Webb, who was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his war service, is presenting Republican Sen. George Allen with one of his most serious challenges in recent years.
Shifting the White House’s focus from the war in Iraq back to the war on terror, focusing on a U.S. economic policy that reflects middle-class interests, and putting an end to a corruption in Washington are three things Webb, a Democrat, said he would fight for if elected.
“When I am elected to the Senate, I’ll remember that my duty is to you, the people. I’ll honor our nation and our fighting men and women. And above all, put the country ahead of political gains and political ambitions,” Webb said Wednesday in his first official campaign stop at the Arlington County Courthouse.
Webb faces former lobbyist Harris Miller in the June Democratic primary. The winner of the primary will take on Allen.
Webb spoke of his family’s extensive military history, including his own Marine Corps background, which began in 1968 after he graduated from the Naval Academy. After serving in Vietnam, Webb earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1975. He served as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and Secretary of the Navy.
Webb said the current administration’s politics have been letting down the soldiers in Iraq and are “just one symptom of a much more seriously troubled administration” that has Allen’s full support.
“This is a year where national security and international affairs will be prominent, and Jim Webb has a record of personal and professional leadership on national security issues that give him instant credibility and that is across the political spectrum,” said Arlington County Board Member Jay Fisette, who asserted that Webb is “the best prepared of all the candidates, including the incumbent.”
The candidate, who has written several books and won awards for his writing, said he would work to lower gas prices and keep American jobs from being outsourced to foreign countries.
“We welcome Mr. Webb to the race and to the Democratic Party,” said Taylor West, a Miller spokeswoman.
Miller’s campaign has previously challenged Webb’s Democratic background and his views on affirmative action and women in the military.
Current polls, If the election were today
George Allen, R, 51%
Harris Miller, D, 34%
George Allen, R, 50%
James Webb, D, 30%
Source: Rasmussen Reports, April 11, 2006
