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The Jim Webb I Met
 The
columnist George Will, who would probably stand
out for prissy pomposity at a nudist colony, with or without his bow tie, is
not, shall we say, crippled by a sense of irony about himself. He has accused
Virginia’s senator-elect, Jim Webb, of being “a pompous poseur
and an abuser of the English language,”  as
well as “a boor.”
Will points out that
Webb has used the word literally when he meant figuratively.
True, and certainly deplorable; but Will’s own habitual confusion of the
auxiliary verbs may and might would have provoked Samuel
Johnson to give him a good bitch-slap, if I know Dr. Johnson.
And, in one
incoherent cheap shot worthy of a first-year philosophy student after a
couple of Budweisers, Will recently charged Thomas Aquinas with
“intellectual hijacking” for the crime of quoting Aristotle. He
might as well have accused Aquinas of copyright violation or identity theft. I
guess nobody had explained to Will that medieval Christian thinkers often
turned to ancient pagan philosophers in their attempts to formulate the
presuppositions of Christian doctrine, as So how did Webb
get under Will’s skin? Well, Webb is a “boor,” it seems,
because he was slightly rude to President Bush at a recent White House
reception. This moved Will, his sense of irony failing him yet again, to
complain about people who are “insufferably full of
themselves.” Well, Webb considers it boorish to invade countries
without justification, an act for which Will has never faulted Bush’s
manners, just as he has never singled out Bush, despite many opportunities,
as an egregious “abuser of the English language.” In fact,
methinks Will would like his readers to forget that he himself originally
favored war on Iraq, back when he was hard to distinguish from the
neoconservative hawks from whom he is now eager to distinguish himself.
Will has another
good point, however, when he faults Webb for finding today’s America
insufficiently egalitarian. A country where George W. Bush can graduate
from an Ivy League university has surely taken equality plenty far enough.
Even nudist colonies have lowered their admissions standards, I suspect, but
this is a question I leave for another day. Right now it would take us too far
afield.
![[Breaker quote for The Jim Webb I Met: Honor in the capital]](2006breakers/061130.gif) Webb
got elected because, whatever his offenses
against the English language, he opposed Bush’s war and, unlike his
opponent, avoided outraging the macaca community. I had lunch with him
once, about 15 years ago, when we both opposed the senior Bush’s
Iraq war, and I liked him enormously. I especially remember his candid
remarks about “Colin” (Powell), perceptive, respectful, almost
affectionate, but without illusion. Everything I’ve learned about Powell
since has confirmed them. And, incidentally, confirmed my respect for Jim
Webb.
Webb was a real
conservative who didn’t follow any party line. Now that he is a
Democrat, he may have made some regrettable compromises, but he
remains a real maverick, a breed Washington is in no imminent danger of
being overrun by.
In Washington,
everyone covets the reputation of being a maverick, precisely because the
genuine article is so rare. George Will thinks of himself as a maverick, though
it is hard to imagine him taking any position that might jeopardize his
hard-won status among our Olympian talking heads. Naturally, honest
mavericks like Webb shame and annoy him by refusing to play it safe by
playing ball with the powers that be. I only hope Webb will have the strength
to remain a free spirit under all the capital’s pressures to conform.
Washington is not
a city to which martyrs flock in large numbers, and even most of the pundits
are politicians at heart. But there are honorable exceptions, such as Mark
Shields. Though we aren’t chums, I have known Shields for many years
and observed him closely; and though he is discreet about sensitive topics (a
man must live, after all), I can’t imagine him saying anything pompous,
hypocritical, or insincere.
Regardless of our
differences, I would trust Shields or Webb to be honest if my life were at
stake. What more can you ask of a man in this town?
Joseph Sobran |
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| Copyright © 2006 by the
Griffin Internet Syndicate, a division of Griffin Communications This column may not be reprinted in print or Internet publications without express permission of Griffin Internet Syndicate 
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