My friend Paul Rahe, professor of history at Hillsdale College, was among the first to see through the David Brooks depiction (now withdrawn with the confession “I’m an Obama sap”) of Barack Obama as a pragmatic centrist compromiser. In his most recent blogpost, Rahe calls for Senator Jim Webb, the Virginia Democrat elected in 2006 who is not running for reelection in 2012, to give a speech denouncing Obama’s latest economic program and to run against him in the Democratic primaries. In the past Webb has placed principle above party, resigning as Ronald Reagan’s Navy secretary because of policy differences, leaving the Republican party for the Democrats because of his opposition to the war in Iraq. Why not again? Over to you, Senator.
