A Tangled Webb

John J. Miller writes:

Sen. James Webb wrote six novels before he tried his hand at nonfiction. His 2004 history of the Scots-Irish in America owns a memorable name: "Born Fighting."

The Virginia Democrat might have saved the title for his memoirs: The man who once battled his way through the jungles of Vietnam has become an influential political warrior in Washington, to the sudden consternation of President Obama.

In recent weeks, Webb has fought the White House on several policy fronts, from deployments in Afghanistan to the prosecution of terrorists.

Webb was arguably the first Democratic senator to come to grips with his party's disastrous defeat in Massachusetts. On the night that Massachusetts voters elected Republican Scott Brown as the late Ted Kennedy's successor, Webb urged the suspension of health-care votes until Brown joins the Senate. If the Obama administration had entertained any thoughts of rushing its "reform" through Congress before Brown's arrival, Webb effectively snuffed them out.

Webb: Heard Massachusetts wake-up call.

He arguably did the White House a big favor, as the public almost certainly wouldn't have tolerated such a desperate maneuver. Yet Webb was probably more concerned about his own political future.

On Dec. 24, he had voted for ObamaCare -- complete with Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson's notorious Cornhusker Kickback. The stunning result in Massachusetts may have provided Webb with the wake-up call he should have heard more than two months earlier.

In November, Virginians turned out in droves to elect Bob McDonnell, a Republican, as their governor. Democrats had enjoyed a string of statewide victories, including Webb's upset in 2006 against Sen. George Allen (a Republican who had harbored presidential ambitions). But now Webb's party was confronting a serious setback.

When Webb called for a moratorium on health-care votes, he wasn't appeasing Brown's Bay State backers. He was trying to respect the mood of his own constituents.

He's is no stranger to revision. His first novel, "Fields of Fire," went through seven drafts before it found a publisher.

Even so, it would be wrong to describe Webb as a political "pander bear." Since coming to the Senate, he has crusaded for prison reform, a thankless chore that attracts neither votes nor campaign cash. He has also pushed for democracy in Burma -- a trendier cause in certain circles, but not one that will impress many dock workers in Norfolk.

His greatest passion is for the military. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Webb served in Vietnam and received a Navy Cross. In terms of heroism, that's just a step below the Medal of Honor. He still carries a piece of shrapnel in his head.

After returning home, Webb drew upon his experiences in uniform to become an accomplished novelist. Many readers regard "Fields of Fire," released in 1978, as a modern classic. Tom Wolfe once called Webb "one of the four of five most important young writers in the country."

Webb went on to serve in the Reagan administration, rising to secretary of the Navy. He opposed the first US-led war against Iraq in 1991, but he remained a loyal Republican through the '90s. "I cannot conjure up an ounce of respect for Bill Clinton when it comes to the military," he said. "Every time I see him salute a Marine, it infuriates me."

Webb's break with the GOP came after the second war against Iraq, which he opposed before it had even started -- in other words, before opposition was cool.

His skepticism of Bush-era interventions now has extended into the Age of Obama. In December, right after the president announced the troop surge in Afghanistan, Webb labeled the strategy "a plan in need of clarity."

He has also blasted attempts to try terrorists in civilian courts. In a Jan. 26 letter signed by five other senators, Webb said that "war criminals" such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed don't deserve a public trial in New York City. Instead, they should go before military commissions.

Webb and his allies appear to have won that engagement. New battles no doubt lie ahead. As they approach, both Democrats and Republicans will try to enlist the services of Virginia's born fighter.