Jim Webb won't seek reelection

Webb won't seek reelection

Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb plans to announce today that he won't seek reelection, the Senator confirmed Wednesday.

Webb appeared likely to face a rematch with former Senator George Allen, whom he beat in a bruising 2006 contest. He had expressed ambivalence about the prospect of another run, and has said he never planned a life in politics.

Keeping Webb -- a Vietnam veteran, former Reagan defense official, and author -- in the Senate had been a top priority for the Democratic leadership, with no Democrat of Webb's prominence, and his centrist politics, openly exploring the race.

My response:

I first learned of Mr. Webb from reading his Vietnam novel “Field's of Fire”.

In that book , he explored how soldiers from different backgrounds -each with their own baggage- faced the unknown, and emerged with new identities. It seems that Mr. Webb's time in Congress was similar (at the least in terms of how he was perceived entering office, and now leaving).

One of his characters, in that book, came to a decision based on his belief - that regardless of circumstances, doing the right thing, even though it may seem to many others to be wrong and even non courageous, was the only way that he could live with himself. This to me,  seems to mirror Mr. Webb's political life in the past few years.

I believe Mr. Webb would have expected sideline quarterbacks to criticize him - they (we) were not in the battles and could not know all of the circumstances. 

By not running for this term, he is not running away. He is standing up, and not selling out his conscience as he would need to to raise money for a campaign battle. I did not always agree with his beliefs, but I respect his integrity, and I thank him for his service.

Smith, Ben; "Webb won't seek reelection" (February 9, 2011) Politico, http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Source_Webb_wont_seek_reelection.html#comments Last retrieved February 9, 2011.