I just came across this article in which the author George Will takes a few cheap shots at Jim Webb. As most of you remember, Webb was recently elected to the United States Senate from the state of Virginia by defeating Republican incumbent George Allen in the 2006 mid-term elections.

Personally, I think it’s good for Democrats like Webb to show a little backbone. No matter what the Democrats do, someone is going to complain about something whether it is overused phrase “cut and run” or “partisanship”. It’s one of those unspoken rules that it is impossible to please everyone, so why try. Webb is a unique character in that he is a moderate who is not afraid to speak his mind, especially when it comes to his son who is a Marine stationed in Iraq.

President Bush at a reception asked, “How’s your boy?” and Webb responded, “I’d like to get them out of Iraq.” When asked the same question again, Webb commented, “That’s between me and my boy.”

To me it appears that maybe President Bush pushed buttons he shouldn’t have. This was a foolish question to ask and only serves to remind people of the partisan tone with which Bush has applied to the office of the presidency and those who disagree with his policies.

This is where the author George Will is out of line. In the article, Will calls Webb a pompous poseur and an abuser. He is welcome to have his own opinion, but I simply disagree with his assessment of the entire situation. President Bush was the instigator here. If he knew that Webb had a short fuse, why was there a need to bring his son into the conversation? A simple congratulation on being Senator from Virginia would have done the trick.

Anything to break the ice in a civilized manner.

Maybe the president should queue the common lesson, treat others as you would have them treat you. Webb’s actions and comments were completely justified and in no way did he disrespect the office of the presidency. If anyone has denigrated this office it is Bush himself.

Oh, but George Will doesn’t stop there. He has to go on and on about the American social classes and educational system. It’s true that more people have degrees and diplomas than in the past, but the cost of higher education is rising and its relevance is decreasing. Recently, I went into an interview where I was told that my M.B.A. meant very little. Apparently, they are a dime a dozen these days. Regardless, I think the point that Will forgot to analyze was how exactly is America doing compared to the rest of the world? Over time we have lost our educational lead among nations. Standards have not been upheld and the public has become complacent. In part, our international policies post 9-11 have lead to a decrease in applications to U.S. colleges and schools. The next generation of minds are now looking elsewhere to be recognized for their talents. When you put all of this information together you would come to the conclusion that the intelligent and talented people we reject today will ultimately become the competition of tomorrow.

That’s my two cents. What’s yours?