Over the last decade or so, official responses to the State of the Union — Republicans responding to Clinton, Dems responding to Bush — haven’t gone particularly well. Some have even joked about a “curse,” leading to either ineffective speeches, political peril, or both.
I think it’s safe to say Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) has ended the curse. Consider Jay Carney’s take, for example.
Jim Webb, whose awkwardness on the stump was well known during his Senate campaign, just delivered the most compelling response and rebuttal to a State of the Union address I’ve seen in the past 15 years. He nailed it — conveyed his personal knowledge about military service, that people serve without regard to political ideology or political identification, and did it without succumbing to partisan one-upmanship. He invoked the trust those who serve have in their commander in chief, their faith that he sends them into harm’s way with the most noble of intentions. He even managed to make reference to his father’s service, his own in Vietnam and his son’s in Iraq — all without condescension or self-congratulation.
His direct delivery, his deliberate pauses between sentences, his old-fashioned accent — all made it an unapologetic speech but not a lecture. He showed the Democrats, and all those who oppose Bush on Iraq, a way to oppose the war with dignity, humility and strength.
On MSNBC last night, Chris Matthews said this was the first time in 30 years that the opposition response was stronger than the president’s address. Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter agreed, saying, “Something unprecedented happened tonight, beyond the doorkeeper announcing, “Madame Speaker.” For the first time ever, the response to the State of the Union Message overshadowed the president’s big speech. Virginia Sen. James Webb, in office only three weeks, managed to convey a muscular liberalism — with personal touches — that left President Bush’s ordinary address in the dust.”
Those who’ve heard Webb on the stump lately know that the senator said a lot of the things he says quite frequently. But this was Webb’s introduction to the national stage, and he scored big.
How good was it? Consider some excerpts.
On Iraq: “The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction. Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos. But an immediate shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq’s cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.”
On the economy: “Regarding the economic imbalance in our country, I am reminded of the situation President Theodore Roosevelt faced in the early days of the 20th century. America was then, as now, drifting apart along class lines. The so-called robber barons were unapologetically raking in a huge percentage of the national wealth. The dispossessed workers at the bottom were threatening revolt. Roosevelt spoke strongly against these divisions. He told his fellow Republicans that they must set themselves ‘as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other.’ And he did something about it.”
On today’s broader political dynamic: “Like so many other Americans, today and throughout our history, we serve and have served, not for political reasons, but because we love our country. On the political issues — those matters of war and peace, and in some cases of life and death — we trusted the judgment of our national leaders. We hoped that they would be right, that they would measure with accuracy the value of our lives against the enormity of the national interest that might call upon us to go into harm’s way.”
On moving forward: “[Roosevelt and Eisenhower] took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world. Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.”
As far as SOTU responses go, I think Webb just set a high bar. You can watch it at C&L, among others.
You may recall that Bush confronted Webb a few weeks ago with, “How’s your boy?” I think Webb responded rather forcefully last night.