The diffirence is that George Allen ain't no Jessie Helms.

He's a one-term senator, one-term governor, one-term delegate and one-term congressman.

Virginia Democrats will keep the streak alive by sending George Felix Allen back home, wherever that is (i.e. California, Iowa, Dixie, wherever!)

Webb's positions are like a lot of progressive southerners. We own guns. We believe Government is there to help lift up those who are at the bottom rung of our society, regardless of race, creed, sex, or sexual orientation. We're pro-gay rights, pro-choice and pro-American worker. We believe in the Labor movement, because a lot of us have to work with our hands and our backs. We believe Government intrusion should stop at our frontdoor. We believe that those who serve in the military are our national treasure and though we want the very best military on the planet, we think they should not be misused like they have be in the War in Iraq. Further, we believe veterans coming home need to be provided for and not have the country turn it's back on them.

You may not understand Jim Webb. He's a thoughtful man and does not speak in soundbites, but Mr. Webb is in the vanguard of a new Democratic Party and we shall return.

Webb's positions are all over the map. He's for gun rights, but is for abortion rights and opposes the state constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriages and civil unions

I know nothing about Webb's other positions, but the 3 listed above are shared by BOTH liberals AND live-and-let-live libertarians.

If he is really in favor of allowing labor unions to force people to join them involuntarily, or use the force of government to make companies hire union people only, then he'd be very much a populist, possibly a liberal, but definitely not a libertarian.

Whatever, despite the "all over the map" description in the article, the three positions mentioned are NOT "all over the map" but held by definite groups of public policy advocates, some of whom abhor electicism and even boast of philosophical consistency.

Actually, Webb's positions sound a hell of a lot like MINE...

Webb's positions are all over the map. He's for gun rights, but is for abortion rights and opposes the state constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriages and civil unions

Yup, yup, and yup.

Can I trade Judd Gregg for him? Please?

J.

It may be interesting and worthwhile to research why Webb left his post as Sec of Navy after such a short time in the position (

From the Webb for Senate website:
In 1987 he became the first Naval Academy graduate in history to serve in the military and later be appointed Secretary of the Navy. He resigned as Naval Secretary in 1988 after refusing to agree to a reduction of the Navy's force structure during congressionally-mandated budget cutting.

You aren't making sense. Where is Webb flip-flopping? He has been the nominee for less than a week and you are already desparate. Mark my words; by September, the nutballsphere will be demanding that Webb release his service record, while implying that his Navy Cross was obtained by fraud.

Here's the thing - Webb is clear on where he stands. It's just not always consistent with our typical understanding of "liberal values." Pro-abortion rights, but also pro-gun rights. If you've been to the South, you know that there are a lot of independents and conservative Dems who hold that same type of seemingly-contrasting values set. Same thing for pro-social programs that help the lower classes, but also pro-fiscal cautiousness/responsibility. Spending on those who need it most doesn't have to contradict being careful on spending overall.

Webb isn't a liberal Democrat, so his views aren't always easily packaged into that mold. But wow, the guy has some great points to make, and has many of the same values that I think a lot of Virginians do.