The full article in which Senator-elect Jim Webb was interviewed by the Daily Press is now online with the above headline.
“He’s a failed president,” Webb said, when asked what he thinks of Bush. “He has two years to try to show some true leadership when it comes to rehabilitating the image of the United States around the world.
“I warned three months before we went into Iraq that we were squandering an historic opportunity to keep almost the entire world with us in the war against international terrorism. And we have failed utterly to do that. It is now up to us – and that hopefully includes the president – to try and remediate the situation in a way that will enhance the stability in the Middle East and rehabilitate our relationship with countries around the world.”
Webb also confirmed the exchange between he and the President at that reception last month.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
How dare Jim Webb call a failed President a Failed President. That is not how it is done inside the beltway. Shocking
The last time a looked, we had something called the 1st Amendment. No one should criticize him for voicing his opinion.
The wingnuts have made satire all but impossible to recognize.
The fact that most europeans fear GWB more than they fear OBM is proof enough for me that GWB has utterly failed in his most historically important task. And we’ll be paying for that failure for a very long time to come.
Funny to me that the right understands that we are in an ideological battle, but fails to see why brute force alone can NEVER win an ideological battle. You have to win with ideas, and you have to justify the force you do use. Otherwise your ideology is seen as more brutal and more dangerous, and people end up fearing you more than Osama.
Awesome. Thanks Bush.
It’s clear that Webb’s concerns about Iraq are sincere, and Iraq is clealry one of the most important public-policy issues there is. But he was elected to be a U.S. Senator, which means he has to discuss other issues at some point. Other than tired cliches about “inequality,” Webb has been shockingly nebulous on issues that will impact our pocket books. Is he an old-fashioned socialist? A New Democrat? Still, at heart, a Republican when it comes to financial issues? Does he want higher taxes? Higher energy prices? More regulations? Virginians should be asking these questions, and demanding specific stances.
JJ, all fair questions. We’ll know in time as these issues come up.
Webb may be pro-Union, but he has also stated that he is in favor of Virginia’s “right to work” laws. So I don’t see good old-fashioned socialism. Based on his writings my sense is that he is probably still working out his ideas in this area. Recognizing economic inequality–focusing on raising the minimum wage, and closing corporate loopholes are all good starting points (fiscally sound as well).
No question Iraq is the dominating issue for him right now. I’m looking forward to hearing him flesh out his ideas in this area as well.
George Bush is NOT a failed President… Remember: He’s a uniter – not a divider! Thank God for him. Otherwise, the Democratic party would never have been united to take back this country… He has surely did a better job uniting than Hillery does uniting Republicans!
I’m glad that Webb stood up to Bush and let him know we’re mad and have a right to voice it! You Rock, Senator Webb
Webb does have a strong message regarding the economy and the growing disparity between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us hoi poloi. Just read – or re-read – his op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal last month. A great piece and highlights that he is not a one-trick pony on the subject of the Iraq war.
I dismantle Webb’s WSJ article here. He really knows nothing about economics.