A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America

The author explains the experience inherent in getting elected. He describes the Senate itself as a collection of 100 fiefdoms. Currently, Senator James Webb describes a permanent underclass in America together with societal regression. The middle class has dwindled from the accumulative inflation since the 50s, corporate downsizing, greed, outsourcing and a collection of other things tangentially dealt with in the book. I believe that another book could be written on the strategies to deal with the underclass amongst both whites and people of color. Part of the solution to our underclass will be to fund collegiate education more generously. In addition, we must deal successfully with the "Secession of the Successful". In every profession, there are people of color. The challenge will be to harness this knowledge and know-how for the benefit of the communities which either raised them or participated significantly in the initial education. There are technologies available to accomplish this feat. Although the author doesn't say so, artificial intelligence, "advice giving systems" and supercomputing are available to capture knowledge, know-how, apprenticeship and complex operational perspectives gained over the course of a lifetime. A section decries the excesses of executive power. This part is stated correctly. I believe that the current and future Chief Executives should equalize the power in the cabinet. Currently, there seems to be too much concentration of power in the military to the detriment of the other cabinet members. This imbalance of power may have consequences. i.e. the unchecked development of the variable interest rate loan write-offs and growing personal bankruptcies The author provides a good idea which involves the deployment of a multi-national naval force to guarantee free transit in the Gulf. The USA is in a good position to insist upon this feature concurrent with the downsizing of our Iraq troop strength. Besides, my approach to the war will have been the sanctions first. If the sanctions did not work, I would have utilized commandos and special forces more judiciously before even considering the wholesale deployment of the Armed Forces. The book criticizes Congress for laxity in reviewing the decision to authorize the President to utilize troops in Iraq. In retrospect, Senator Kerry's idea to allow the sanctions to work will have been the preferred route. Nonetheless, an opportunity exists to re-shape Iraq into a nation with a brand new electronic infrastructure together with municipal state-of-the-art accounting systems to monitor the revenue sharing and municipal services optimally. The current Administration does get some credit for creating the opportunity to re-shape Iraq in the post Saddam period-albeit at a great cost. The book decries the fact that 1% of Americans own or control 50% of the stocks. Our challenge as a nation is to save more. This process cannot happen without a rational energy policy that

Senator Webb is one of only a few true intellectual heavyweight in our government: a writer, a Senator from Virginia (whom I am proud to say I voted for), who is also a war hero (and has a son in Iraq) from the white working class, a father of three, whose patriotism is neither worn on his sleeve, nor born of the normal ideological narrow-mindedness often cloaked in closeted racism. He lives and breathes a refreshing new kind of Americanism that sees this two-hundred year old experiment being sucked up into the Washington grinding machine of privilege, greed, narrow-mindedness and excess. Webb worries, as so many of us do that the wheels are finally coming off this grand old 200-plus-year experiment. As he so aptly notes in this manifesto of his political philosophy and his concerns for our nation: At the same time that vast changes have begun to call into question every aspect of our national identity and even the foundation upon which our society was built, our politicians are engaged in false debates shaped by emotional side issues that only serve as detours and deflections around, or smoke screens hiding, the real ills that beset the nation. While China and India are rapidly moving ahead, "our political process has become so compromised by powerful interest groups and the threat of the petty politics of character assassination that even the best among us will not dare to speak honestly about the solutions that might bring us back to common sense and fundamental fairness." While our politicians are busy raising millions for their next election run, and our corporate elite laugh all the way to the bank with their obscene profits, our inner cities are in full melt-down mode: In the single-mother run neighborhoods, of inadequate schools, no healthcare, out-of-control illegitimacy, drugs, and AIDS, its no wonder that prison, which is now filled with 2 million of our fellow citizens, has become an alternative life style. And to make matters even worse, "those at the top now tend to view their inordinate success as simply a function of their innate talent in a brave new world of socio-economic Darwinian, and have become openly consumed by their own self-justifying greed." This is occurring at the same time that inner city youths are trapped in crime-infested neighborhoods, lacking any possible pathways to success. To say that we are at risk of developing a permanent underclass is but a monument to understatements: it would not be an exaggeration to say that the U.S. inner city ghettoes are just time bombs waiting to be ignited. These are just some of the concerns that Jim Webb expresses in this, his seventh book. But more than that he has solutions. One hopes that he is just the tip of an emerging iceberg of a new generation of political leaders. Five stars

Jim Webb is a classic warrior poet in the sense of the Celtic tradition. He is also a true maverick, who thinks for himself, which seems an oddity in today's Washington. A former SecNav and Assist. SecDef in the Reagan Administration, he quit due to disagreements on policy. Webb was awarded the Navy Cross for conspicuous gallantry on the battlefield as a Marine company commander in Viet Nam. He is a prize-winning author of nine books and as an accomplished journalist. He is the epitome of a modern renaissance man. In a Time to Fight, he writes of a process for correcting what is wrong in American society today. Not an easy task. Rather than being another dry political tome, Webb's book is intelligent, insightful and entertaining. In addition to the big picture, he interspaces his writing with personal experiences and perceptions, ranging from the anger and sadness of loss, to the euphoria of achievement. This is a book that is not written about a single moment in time that, once read can be discarded, like so many "insider" books of the day. A Time to Fight is a book of principle and foresight that can be re-read and reinvigorate the reader to take positive action to help save a damaged nation. It is a book of values and realistic corrective measures. Beyond a doubt, well worth reading. Not at all a "company man", Webb will do an excellent job as the Senator from Virginia and may, one day I hope, run for and become president. Looking around at today's selection, we could certainly do a great deal worse, but rarely better. Remember the "Arizona Territory", RVN. Semper Fi, Skipper!

This book doesn't always lend itself to partisan ideology, but, rather, is a remedial and a clarion call to those who are tired of a non-solutions based rigidity in Washington. A wake up call, I suppose. I read this on a whim, having only heard of Webb in passing. I thought he sounded quite impressive when I heard him on c-span, so that made it easier. I enjoyed this book in totality. He is a lot deeper than he occasionally lets on, as his humble attitude tends to shield his incredible intellect at times. Until he actually starts to speak/type, whetever, then it is all very clear: Jim Webb is a true intellect. Jim seems to be a gifted writer, as well. I don't know his methodology, but he is a fantastic story teller. Prose is readable, yet eloquent. Lots of historical references that help; many personal stories, too. Webb lays out a slue of new ideas, new ways of thinking about politics, and shares a sentiment that all parties can get down with. As with any book like this, I want to be glowing to a certain extent afterwards. I want to feel patriotic and like there is hope for American politics. This book achieves that. Jim Webb is far more than an effective legislator; he is an honest character. Check it out.

In his refreshingly good A Time to Fight, Jim Webb, junior senator from Virginia confesses that he once spent a few years as a boxer and that sometimes when he enters the Senate Chamber he thinks, "This is the ring. The American people can see us here, and listen to our arguments. This is where the fights matter." In A Time to Fight, he aims to let us know which battles he thinks are worth fighting. If you think (as, I confess, I did before reading this book) that you've got Jim Webb pegged down as your typical charismatic, flag-waving warrior, think again. He reveals himself in these pages to be an independent thinker who doesn't parrot the latest partisan mantra but instead is imaginative and courageous enough to take the best from both sides of the aisle. He endorses the Nixon Doctrine, for example, actually calling it the best foreign policy of his lifetime. He's also a deeply patriotic man who admits that he feels humbled whenever he sees the Capitol building and thinks about what it symbolizes. Yet his patriotism and his understanding of the US as a superpower aren't chauvinist or neoconservative. He thinks the current war was a mismanaged and needless affair. He's extremely critical of the growing imbalance of wealth in this country. He calls for a revamping of the criminal justice system, worrying that the country has gone "completely jail happy." He warns that in recent years the executive branch has become disproportionately powerful. And he has a deep and abiding faith in the ability of citizens, when properly informed and responsibly represented, to govern themselves well. Webb tells us early on that he has an "innate distrust of the ornaments of power," and most of the battles he wants to take on deal with the abuse of power. In all this, his intellectual commitment to democracy as well as his personal dedication and decency come through loud and clear. In a year in which several very good books by American politicans have appeared, A Time to Fight is one that's reflective, insightful, and inspiring. Webb's a guy to watch.