Jim Webb, for the uninformed,  is the congressional candidate who is under attack over his writing, where he uses images that many believe to be pornographic, sexist and generally socially repugnant.  Interestingly, at least one of the books at the center of the maelstrom is also endorsed by many prominent politicians.

So apparently he must have some talent even if he does take it in directions people object to.

Well today he proved it.

He was speaking at a rally and made a statement that was a wonderful work of fiction.

Webb: Democrats will provide Iraq remedy

The only remedy to a series of Iraq policy failures by President Bush is a Democratic takeover of Congress in the Nov. 7 election, Virginia Senate candidate Jim Webb said Saturday.

Speaking concisely, I think he is full of it.  The democrats so far have not suggested in any way that they have a better solution.

Be clear:  I am more then a little unhappy with the leadership we have in Iraq.  I think our country has done a lot of good, but has also misjudged the situation and made some mistakes.

But the only two policies that have seemed to have emerged from the campaign trails of the democrats is immediate pullout and a time line for pullout.

Immediate pullout is the most foolish choice of all:  It would be telling the terrorists that all they have to do is make it uncomfortable for us and we will run; it would leave the Iraqis in a terrible state, much worse then the sectarian violence now, it would be a full scale civil war;  It would be a complete breach of responsibility to complete the job we started.

And an open time line just gives the terrorists a schedule and motivation to wait for us to leave to do their worst efforts.

In my opinion, the insurgents may be motivated by anti American hatred, but they are also motivated by returning Iraq to a non democratic state.

So my challenge to Webb and any of his contemporaries:  Put up or shut up.  Show me what you suggest to be a better set of policies and strategies for Iraq, and maybe you will win my vote.

This has been the biggest problem of the Democrats for the last 6 years.  They operate under the presumption that they are the Anti-Republicans, but they have no agenda or vision of their own.  They seem to exist in a reactional world instead of an active one.

Note to Darcy Burner (candidate for Congress, Washington 8th district):  READ THIS!  You really need to move on from your "Dave Reichert is kinda like Goerge Bush" ads…boring…they just show that, as he is saying, you have no experience or agenda of your own.  All you can do is resort to a school yard ‘nyah nyah" campaign.

As a public service, I will again give them the keys to victory:  You need to do more then just shout that Bush and the Republicans are bad, you need to show you have better ideas for the future.  Here are a few examples:

• Social Security-  Yes we get that privitization is bad.  But claiming Social Security is not broken is not a winning strategy is idiotic, Pelosi and Burner have done.  Tell us how you plan on fixing it.
• Immigration Reform-  It is not a civil rights or a racial issue.  Race baiting it is foolish. Tell us what you think will allow for better control and enforcement of existing laws, or tell us how the laws should be changed. 
• Border Security-  This is not a civil rights or racial issue either.  Show the people how you will make their country safer.
• Taxes and Spending-  The current tax cuts have worked, the conomy is booming, and unemployment is down.  Eliminating or not extending them will hurt people, particularly working class families who rely on things like the Child Tax Credit.  The real issue is out of hand spending, and pork barrel earmarks.  Show us plans to downsize the out of control spending, and curb the selfish regional earmarks that infest the budget.

Get the idea yet?

Until then you are still just a bunch of empty shirts shouting in the wind.   Or to paraphrase Shakespeare:

A bunch of idiots telling a tale, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.

More at Sweetness & Light, Little Green Footballs, Blue Crab Boulevard and The Jawa Report