Conventional Wisdom
Strengths

- Not a conventional politician; has an independent, maverick outlook; as a former Republican has potential to appeal to independents and conservatives.
- Military experience (officer in Vietnam, staffer on Capitol Hill, and during the Reagan administration) could be a major asset in a time of multiple international crises.

- Veterans, particluarly Vietnam veterans, could form a base of support.
- An intriguing figure, not too well know nationally and has an interesting story to tell including distinguished military record, best-selling author, writer and executive producer of a major film, speaks Vietnamese.

Weaknesses
- Scots-Irish temperament (see for example resignation as Secretary of the Navy or involvement in Vietnam War Memorial).
- Not a natural politician; might have trouble fulfilling fundraising and glad-handing demands seemingly required of a 21st century presidential candidate and
can be a bit wooden in speaking.
- Twice-divorced.


Notes, Coverage and Speeches



Sept. 23, 2014 - National Press Club.



2014 Notes - After finishing his Senate term in January 2013, Webb kept out of the spotlight until May 2014 when his book I Heard My Country Calling was published.  In a June 3 letter posted on his PAC website Webb wrote of "the pervasive lack of vision, courage and practical problem-solving at the national level."  "We are suffering from a leadership deficit," he stated.  In August he visited Iowa, and in a Sept. 23 speech at the Nationl Press Club he said he is "seriously looking at the possibility" of seeking the Democratic nomination.

Readings
James Webb.  May 20, 2014.  I HEARD MY COUNTRY CALLING: A Memoir.  New York: Simon & Schuster.
"James Webb...has written an extraordinary memoir of his early years, 'a love story—love of family, love of country, love of service,' in his words.  Webb’s mother grew up in the poverty-stricken cotton fields of Eastern Arkansas. His father and life-time hero was the first of many generations of Webbs, whose roots are in Appalachia, to finish high school. He flew bombers in World War II, cargo planes in the Berlin Airlift, graduated from college in middle age, and became an expert in the nation’s most advanced weaponry.  Webb’s account of his childhood is a tremendous American saga as the family endures the constant moves and challenges of the rarely examined Post-World War II military...  His account of his four years at Annapolis are painfully honest but in the end triumphant. His description of Vietnam’s most brutal battlefields breaks new literary ground."


James Webb.  May 19, 2008.  A TIME TO FIGHT: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America.  New York: Broadway.
"Through vivid personal narratives of the struggles members of his family faced, and citing the courageous actions of presidents ranging from Andrew Jackson to Teddy Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower, A Time to Fight provides specific, viable ideas for restoring fairness to our economic system, correcting the direction of national security efforts, ending America’s military occupation of Iraq, and developing greater government accountability.

  this page last revised September 24, 2014  

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