Ollie 1

FACT: In 1968 Oliver North beat Jim Webb to win the Brigade Boxing Championship during their senior year at the United States Naval Academy.

Some Virginia blogs of the lefty persuasion would like us to think otherwise. Here and here for example.

Actually, it is a fascinating story, although I can understand why Jim Webb isn't penning the screenplay for this one. The underdog, Ollie North, who sustained back and knee fractures his plebe year in a car accident, through sheer determination and grit fought his way back to health, out of leg braces and faced classmate Jim Webb for the coveted title of Brigade Boxing Champion. Webb had been boxing since his early teens, was dubbed the better boxer of the two and was expected to win. He didn't.

I guess when your candidate is fuzzy once you get past his anti-Iraq War stance you might be tempted to invent stories to flesh him out a bit and make him larger than life. Throwing a cape over Webb's shoulders and sewing a big W on his chest is more honest, in my opinion, than fabricating fairytale endings to real incidents.

Oooops! On second thought, better not make it a W.

UPDATE 07-09-06 by f mcdonald One of the posters linked above left this explanation in our comments which I believe is sincere and should in fairness to Richmond Independent be posted here.

"I wrote the Virginia Centrist post. It looks like I was wrong, but it wasn't intentional. I read it somewhere, and obviously the source was incorrect. I wasn't trying to mislead anyone."
Richmond Independent | 07.09.06 - 1:03 am |