Jim Webb Verbally Eviscerates Romney During Virginia Beach Remarks

AP Photo

I haven't always been a happy supporter of Jim Webb even though I did vote for him six years ago when he ran against my former law school roommate, George "Macaca" Allen.  A case in point is when Webb was waffling on DADT repeal and I was contacted by his communications director after slamming Webb in a blog post.  Webb went a long way to wipe out any displeasure I might have had with him when he eviscerated - or perhaps castrates is a better term - Mitt Romney while speaking at Barack Obama's campaign stop in Virginia Beach today.  The thrust of Webb's remarks: castigating Romney for lobbying in support of the Vietnam War and then using a special exemption from service for Mormon missionaries and spending critical war years in Europe. I understand where Webb is coming from.  I'm 60 years old and only missed the draft because I had a high lottery number (269 as I recall).  Unlike Romney, I never sought an exemption.  And I never agitated in support of the Vietnam fiasco.  And, yes, I lost childhood friends in that fool's errand that is similar in so many ways to the ongoing disaster in the Middle East.    Politico has details on Webb's statements.  Here are highlights:

Webb’s bladework today on Mitt Romney was as unexpected as it was memorable.  From Webb’s introductory remarks before Obama’s Virginia Beach appearance:

Governor Romney and I are about the same age. Like millions of others in our generation, we came to adulthood facing the harsh realities of the Vietnam War. 2.7 million in our age group went to Vietnam, a war which eventually took the lives of 58,000 young Americans and cost another 300,000 wounded. The Marine Corps lost 100,000 killed or wounded in that war. During the year I was in Vietnam, 1969, our country lost twice as many dead as we have lost in Iraq and Afghanistan combined over the past 10 years of war. 1968 was worse. 1967 was about the same. Not a day goes by when I do not think about the young Marines I was privileged to lead.

This was a time of conscription, where every American male was eligible to be drafted. People made choices about how to deal with the draft, and about military service. I have never envied or resented any of the choices that were made as long as they were done within the law. But those among us who stepped forward to face the harsh unknowns and the lifelong changes that can come from combat did so with the belief that their service would be honored, and that our leaders would, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, care for those who had borne the battle, and for their widows and their children.

Those young Marines that I led have grown older now. They’ve lived lives of courage, both in combat and after their return, where many of them were derided by their own peers for having served. That was a long time ago. They are not bitter. They know what they did. But in receiving veterans’ benefits, they are not takers. They were givers, in the ultimate sense of that word. There is a saying among war veterans: “All gave some, some gave all.” This is not a culture of dependency. It is a part of a long tradition that gave this country its freedom and independence. They paid, some with their lives, some through wounds and disabilities, some through their emotional scars, some through the lost opportunities and delayed entry into civilian careers which had already begun for many of their peers who did not serve.

And not only did they pay. They will not say this, so I will say it for them. They are owed, if nothing else, at least a mention, some word of thanks and respect, when a presidential candidate who is their generational peer makes a speech accepting his party’s nomination to be commander-in-chief. And they are owed much more than that — a guarantee that we will never betray the commitment that we made to them and to their loved ones.

[C]oming from Webb — a voice for the white working class, a former Navy secretary and decorated Vietnam veteran whose son left college to enlist as an infantry private in the Marine Corps and fought in the Iraq War — his words carry a punch that few other Democratic surrogates can muster.

 That's right.  Military veterans receiving benefits and those on active duty do not pay income taxes on their benefits.  These individuals are part of the 47% that Mitt Romney holds in thinly veiled contempt.  The man is despicable.  

Mitt Romney in 1968 - while thousands of young Americans were dying in Vietnam

Vietnam Dodging Romney Whines About Shrinking Military Budget

One of the things this blog focuses on the most in terms of politics and religion is exposing hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy that seems the most plentiful among the "godly Christian" crowd and the Republican Party and its members.  Of the latter group, Mitt Romney is no exception.  A case in point is his whining about reductions in military spending as if Romney has a clue about military life.  Why do I say that?  Because during the Vietnam era Romney dodged military service by using a religious exemption and serving as a Mormon missionary in France.  America Blog looks at Romney's Vietnam service and his ridiculous claims that America's security will be threatened if the social safety net isn't slashed to fund the military.  Here are highlights:

Oh please, Mitt. As if it's not amusing enough that Romney replaced his military service during the Vietnam war with a few years living in the posh and flashy 16th arrondissement. (It's the new money, flashy part of Paris on the western edge of town.) Somehow service in the neighborhood of nannies and sports cars has made Romney certain that what the already bloated Pentagon needs is more money.

Maybe Romney math is different from real math, but US defense spending already dwarfs the rest of the world and it's not even close. One would need to add countries ranked second through fifteenth to slightly pass the annual US military spending so spare me the story about how damaging cuts would weaken the US.

What is weakening the US is too much war spending and not enough spending at home. But for the Romney class, spending on social programs that benefit the 99% is a waste of money. The real waste of money in the US these days is giving away tax cuts to people like Mitt Romney, who hasn't worked in years yet still makes millions each year thanks to GOP tax cuts.

Dear god, the man has all kinds of money but can't buy a clue.

Echoing portions of his stump speech in which he cites the threat of a resurgent Russia, a nuclear Iran and a rising China as obstacles to an "American Century," Romney closed his speech at this Memorial Day tribute to veterans with a political message about a choice between divergent military philosophies this November.

"We have two courses we can follow: One is to follow the pathway of Europe. To shrink our military smaller and smaller to pay for our social needs. And they of course rely on the strength of America and they hope for the best. Were we to follow that kind of course, there would be no one that could stand to protect us,"

Of course, Romney and his wealthy cronies don't want to pay a penny more to protect America.  No, they want to take the food from the mouths of poor children and out of the pockets of working class folks while they themselves spend more on yachts and fine living complete with garages with elevators for their many cars.

More Monday Male Beauty

Mormons Exposed has released its 2010 Men on a Mission Calendar - the popular and controversial 2010 calendar features 12 hunky returned Mormon missionaries who served full-time missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each page features an over sized photo of each model, including a photo as a missionary and a calendar. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this calendar goes to charity. See the "Giving Back" page at http://menonamissioncalendar.com/giving.php for more information. No doubt there will be a number of homophobic LDS leaders who will have their panties in a wad over the calendar again this year. Personally, I think the calendar is a riot.

Mormons Excommunicate Creator of "Men On A Mission" Calendar

I have actually posted photos of some of the guys from the "Men On A Mission" calendar which featured shirtless Mormon missionaries on this blog, so I was somewhat sad to hear that its creator, Chad Hardy, was excommunicated Sunday after a disciplinary meeting with local church leaders in Las Vegas. Personally, I thought all of the photos were tasteful and pretty tame compared to some of the other G-rated photos I use that push the envelop a bit. In my opinion, the calendar actually helped make Mormons look like more normal people as opposed to the more lunatic members of the church that typically get all the media attention. In any event, here are a few highlights from Salt Lake City Tribune:

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SALT LAKE CITY - The creator of a 2008 calendar that featured shirtless Mormon missionaries was excommunicated Sunday after a disciplinary meeting with local church leaders in Las Vegas. Chad Hardy says he bears no ill will toward the council of elders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He says an official letter severing his ties with the 13 million-member Salt Lake City-based church should arrive in about two weeks.

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''Men on a Mission," which has sold nearly 10,000 copies at $14.99 each, included pictures of 12 returned missionaries wearing black slacks, but not their trademark white shirts, in modest poses. The men are also photographed in traditional missionary garb and share their religious beliefs in biographical sketches. Some of the 12 models have also been called to disciplinary meetings, but none were punished.

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Hardy said he considered resigning his membership to avoid the hearing, but decided against it out of respect for his family. Hardy is a sixth-generation Mormon. His parents live in Utah. ''I really feel sorry for my family," Hardy said. ''They are going to be so sad. But I feel empowered and free and I feel like I no longer have to apologize for anything." Hardy insists that the purpose of the calendar has never been to tear down the church or its 13 million members.

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The 2009 calendar - which drew 100 inquiries from interested missionaries - will be released in September.