President Bush's Inspirational Address Followed By Mr. Webb

President George W. Bush gave an inspirational radio address today relating a bit of history about our Independence Day celebrations and warmly thanking and acknowledging our Armed Forces and their families. He and Mrs. Bush will be at Fort Bragg on the 4th to personally thank service members and their families.

Last three paragraphs:Today, a new generation of American patriots is defending our freedom against determined and ruthless enemies. At this hour, the men and women of our Armed Forces are facing danger in distant places, carrying out their missions with all the skill and honor we expect of them. And their families are enduring long separations from their loved ones with great courage and dignity. Our troops and our military families deserve all our support and gratitude, and on this 4th of July weekend, I ask every American to find a way to thank those who defend our freedom. To find out about efforts in your community, please visit the website AmericaSupportsYou.mil.

As we celebrate the 4th, we also remember that the promises of liberty contained in our Declaration apply to all people. Because Americans believe that freedom is an unalienable right, we value the freedom of every person in every nation. And because we are committed to the God-given worth of every life, we strive to promote respect for human dignity. Today, all who live in tyranny and all who yearn for freedom can know that America stands with them.

As citizens of this good Nation, we should be proud of our heritage, grateful for our liberty, and confident in our future. Two-hundred-and-thirty years after America declared its independence, the spirit of '76 lives on. And our Nation remains proud to carry freedom's torch. We still place our trust in the protections of divine providence. We still pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor to freedom's defense. And we still believe in the promise of freedom for all.

Thank you for listening.

Giving the Democrat's response was Mr. James Webb, Jr. I read it first and then listened to the audio and two words came to mind: vegan and buzzkill. He has a nice, manly speaking voice but no matter what part of the speech he was reading he only changed up or down on the last word of a sentence and spoke in the same mild tone whether relating his family history or dissing the President for playing politics with the War in Iraq. He complimented the dedication of our Armed Forces for their willingness to serve.

Last three paragraphs: When our political leaders do not act wisely, our military people pay the price. I've been involved with the military all of my life - as a Marine, as a novelist, as a journalist, in Beirut when the Marines were there in 1983, and in Afghanistan two years ago, as an Assistant Secretary of Defense and as Secretary of the Navy. I've seen things work well, and I've seen things work badly. And through it all, I have believed strongly that when things aren't working well, it is the responsibility of our leaders to admit it, and to fix the problem. Some say that speaking out against a war is disloyal to the troops. Whoever says that should consider what it's like to be a troop, wishing someone would speak the truth.

As the occupation of Iraq has continued to drag on, some of our most distinguished retired generals, as well as many members of Congress with strong loyalties to our military, have suggested different approaches for America to remove itself from this quagmire. Rather than weighing these suggestions fairly as Americans, this Administration constantly chooses to play politics, dismissing well-intentioned concern with such trivial phrases as "cut and run." I'm reminded of another time, with a leader who truly understood war. In 1952 General Dwight Eisenhower, who had led us to victory in Europe in World War Two, strongly condemned the conduct of the Korean War as "an appalling failure." He claimed "the old Administration cannot be expected to repair what it failed to prevent." And he gave his pledge to "review and examine every course of action open to us with one goal in view: to bring the Korean War to an early and honorable end." And you know what? When he was elected President, he did that.

We need this kind of leadership today. I'm running for the Senate in the hope that I might bring a fresh voice, and an experienced set of eyes, onto the problems of our country. We need to redirect the efforts of our national security posture. We need to bring the Iraq War to an early and honorable end. We need to begin bringing troops home soon, as the first step toward a complete military pullout from that country. We must do this in order to free up our dedicated military people to fight the war we need to win – the war against international terrorism - and so that we can have the mobility to confront the other strategic challenges, such as the threat of an emerging China.

If I am elected, I will work toward those goals. And those who are serving our country will have no greater friend. I'm Jim Webb, from Virginia. Thanks for listening.

The I-Me-We factor for President Bush = 4, Mr. Webb = 20
(We's and Our's relating to the nation or groups other than family are not counted)


Hat tip to FreeRepublic.com and Bearing Drift.