A Little Of The Old In And Out



In: Senator Jim Webb. As the United States Senate prepares for a showdown vote today on whether to give American troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan a free public college education via the 21st century GI Bill, all eyes are on Virginia Senator Jim Webb. And to add to the intrigue of this well strategically timed bill, the well-connected Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg writes today:

"After another drubbing at the hands of Senator Hillary Clinton in Kentucky, to say that Obama lacks appeal among non- college-educated, working-class Ronald Reagan Democrats -- the voters Clinton calls 'hardworking white Americans' -- is to call the Grand Canyon a hole in the ground.

"Barring putting Clinton on the ticket -- and most Obama folks do -- there's another Democrat who fills the bill, the freshman senator from Virginia, Jim Webb.

"Webb is all over the place this week -- Meet the Press, NPR, The Late Show With David Letterman, a party at the Four Seasons in New York -- promoting his book, 'A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America.'

"This isn't your typical Capitol Hill book of pasted-together speeches. Webb, 62, has written a vivid analysis of the folly of our foreign policy and the unfairness of our domestic one. He makes the case for the ordinary Joe who punches a clock and goes down in a coal mine to work for The Man, who makes in an hour what he earns in a year."

Webb, as we have already written, is the best Veep choice for Senator Obama. The junior Senator from Illinois should pick Hillary Clinton, but he must pick Jim Webb.



(image via vetofossella)

Out: The "Honorable" Vito Fossella. He of the wine-stained lips, and "love-child" may just cause the Republican party even more hurt. The whiff of scandal -- remember the Mark Foley-infused 2006 midterm elections? -- is the last thing the Republican party wants affixed to itself heading into the 2008 elections. Especially after three straight special-election losses in conservative districts thus far this cycle. From TheHill:

"If Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) is unable to reach a deal with prosecutors on his DUI arrest, he will likely have to serve five days in jail before the end of the year, making him only the fourth sitting member of Congress to be locked up following a criminal conviction and dragging his troubles back into the spotlight just as Republicans were counting on them having vanished.

"...Under state law, any resignation before July 1 gives New York’s Democratic Gov. David Paterson the option of calling a special election. And Republicans have lost three special House elections since March."