Senator Jim Webb's Catharsis

Senator Webb's recent book "A Time to Fight" contains references of events of his life's journey from childhood to his current Senate election. The book reflects Senator's perception regarding America's state of current socio-political and economic status; his views on how did the country (America) arrive at a point at which there is surmountable gaps between have and have knot's, among other surmountable (social, economic, political, foreign policy..) conditions. The book includes references from World War I, World War II, Korean War, General MacArthur, 9/11, Criminal Justice system, and host of other things including the Iraq and Vietnam War. He has written about his training in a Marine Corp. Senator has outlined his role as a lieutenant in Vietnam war. He has written about his experience regarding a death of an elderly man, during a combat mission in Vietnam, whom he named as grand father of a boy who also was badly wounded at the same episode in which the boy's grandfather had died while trying to protect the boy, and later the boy himself died without any medical help. He has written critically about the antiwar movement and Senator McGovern. He has expressed his disappointments with democratic congress that had cutoff the Vietnam funding to end the war. He explained his justification and rationalization for affiliating with Republican Party and the Regan administration in which he himself served, and his current switch from Republican party to Democratic party.

In summary, Senator's writing reflects his views, ideals, justifications, and rationalization; his social, political, and military experiences, and his world view as evolved over the years. The book reflects Senator's displaced disappointments, and displaced anger towards the democratic congress which had cutoff the Vietnam war funding to end the war. It is a book which probably has provided Senator Webb a cathartic experience.

A time to ponder................................