Nora Ephron blogs thusly:

"Finally someone said to George Bush, Don't think that what you stand for is beside the point. Don't think that because you're President you're entitled to my good opinion. Don't think that asking about my boy means that I believe for even one second that you care. If you did, you'd be doing something about bringing the troops home.

George Will thinks this is bad manners.

I don't.

I think it's too bad it doesn't happen more often."

"Lord! What fools these Mortals be!"

whining about "bad manners" when the Vice President of the United States said "Fuck you."

"Lord! What fools these Mortals be!"

by kant

Thu Nov 30, 2006 at 09:35:35 PM PST

Make no mistake. Jim Webb scares the Republicans (and their Democratic apologists) silly. And not just the neo-cons but the theo-cons and the paleo-cons too. And especially the DLC/Third Way crowd. Why? Because he represents the evolution of a movement that Howard Dean started, but could not - because of who Howard is and where he comes from - complete. Jim Webb represents the return of the "Reagan Democrat" to the Democratic party and the rebuilding of the Great Democratic FDR coalition.

The Scots-Irish were the original working class of American society and for many years formed the core of the Democratic Party. Webb's underestanding of the history of the Scots-Irish in America - he wrote a book on them - allows him to speak to the core of those Democrats who defected to the Republican Party because of cultural issues. Webb cannot be tarred with the Fox News brushes of "elitism," "feminism," or "San Francisco values."

The Administration knows that the drag show that Karl has concocted for Dubya is severely threatened by the truth of Webb's background... There is a real man behind the persona. The broohaha over the Bush-Webb encounter reads like classic "attack your opponent's strength" Rove gambit. The talking points were ready for disemination to all takers including Medved, Will and Malkin. But I think it backfired. People in DC know what a spoiled prick Bush is, and I don't think it soiled Webb one iota. The Lieberman-types were already terrified because Webb's credentials as a Reaganite are unimpeachable, and his appeal to the lunch pail crowd is undeniable.

(...)

If Cheney, Bush and Rove are trying to pull one over on the American people so they can try to save their legacy with an Iran invasion, they fear the credibility that Webb will bring to the opposition to this insane gambit. Especially when combined with someone like Chuck Hagel, Webb will see through Gates as a "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" replacement, and will challenge him hard during the hearings. The Bushies know that they cannot control the politics of this, and so they are trying to soften Webb for that fight.

( ... Link ... )

(not 100% in agreement on the reasons why, but there's no doubt - yes, Webb will terrifiy them for the same reason Murtha does, but far more so. They're going to be working him hard - ES)