George,

I just received a mailing from the Harris Miller campaign which highlights two quotes from Jim Webb: "Ronald Reagan was a really fine president on the issues that I cared about" (MSNBC.com, 4/6/06) and "I may change parties, but I don't change positions on the issues" (Colbert Report, 3/8/06). After an internet search, I found that these sentences were correctly quoted, but they are out of context and, therefore, quite misleading.

The full context of the MSNBC quote was as follows: (from an article by MSNBC national affairs writer Tom Curry)

"In 2000, Webb endorsed Allen in his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Chuck Robb; in 1994, Webb endorsed Robb over Republican Oliver North.

Despite his support for Allen six years ago, Webb now sees a need to hold the incumbent accountable for supporting the war. 'We got into Iraq because there were not people who asked the right questions. This is an election season and the person I'm running against (Allen) did not ask the right questions.'

Describing himself and other 'Reagan Democrats,' Webb said in an interview in his campaign office Wednesday, 'These were people who had been the backbone of the traditional Democratic Party and who grew very uncomfortable particularly on the issue of the (Vietnam) war -- I was one of them -- and who were never comfortable with the Republicans on social issues.'

Webb writes in his 2004 book Born Fighting of 'the disdain that many of the advantaged in my generation felt for those who had fought in Vietnam.'

'I've always been a moderate on social issues.' Webb said Wednesday.

'I'm pro-choice. My belief is: the power of the government ends at your doorstep. Conservatives should agree with that, too.' While not agreeing with Reagan on abortion, he said, 'Ronald Reagan was a really fine president on the issues that I cared about.' "

Chris Matthews interviewed Jim Webb. You can see a video of that interview at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12175909. That video gives very good insight into Jim Webb's major issue concerns in this campaign which are:
1) reorienting global defense strategy, 2) fairness: his concern that our society is breaking into three pieces -- the top third who have never done better, the middle third who are stagnating and the bottom third who are becoming a permanent underclass, and 3) presidential authority -- his concern that Congress is not standing up.

As for the quote from the Colbert Report, this was in answer to a question from Colbert about Webb first being a Democrat, then a Republican and now a Democrat again. The main reason he changed to Republican, said Webb, was the way Vietnam veterans and those who believed in the purposes of the Vietnam war were treated by Democrats in the 1970's. He said he had always held the same (moderate) views on social issues. Webb received a lot of applause when he said, "It is time for a lot of people to come back to the Democratic party."

I hope this has been helpful. We have the opportunity on June 13th to vote for someone who thinks for himself, stands above politics as usual, and can defeat George Allen. That is Jim Webb.

David RePass (electronic mail, June 1, 2006)