Few politicians have as many sychophantic devotees on DailyKos as Jim Webb does, so I better put on my flame retardant suit.
I actually like Jim Webb -- a lot. I think he is an incredibly accomplished and honorable man. He's also real - authentic - a rarity in politics. He's intelligent and thoughtful, and he does not patronize audiences by resorting to sound bites and avoiding substance. He comes across as a little arrogant but that could just be supreme self-confidence. He certainly has a lot of reasons to be confident.
Having said all that, I absolutely agree that he was being a COWARD when he capitulated on the issue of warrantless domestic spying. Webb is a lawyer and a Virginian, and as such he should have an appreciation of individual liberty, which is under assault by dangerous men who justify the erosion of freedom through a constant, cynical ginning up of fear.
Jim Webb and politicians like him help George Bush and Dick Cheney defile the Constitution of the United States.
John Ashcroft, Robert Mueller and James Comey threatened a mass resignation because they were so troubled by the scope of the program and the dangerous assertion of executive authority advanced to support it.
Do John Ashcroft, Robert Mueller and James Comey care more about civil liberties and the rule of law than Jim Webb does? I guess we'll find out when this debate resumes in the fall.