false 3 0 false false Wed Nov 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Oct 30 05:36:24 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 05 05:28:34 -0800 2008
In the chapter where he directly addresses his subtitle "reclaiming a fair and just America," Webb is very good. He makes an excellent case for why the rich/poor gap in America has become untenable and how the Republicans have used power not just to defend business interests but actively to make the wealthiest Americans even wealthier. Everyone ought to read this chapter.

That said, however, too much of the rest of the book is given over to recounting Webb's accomplishments and not political analysis. He has lived a remarkable life, and it is great that someone who admits that he has made his living from writing has been elected to the U.S. Senate, I don't dispute that. But there's just a little bit too much self congratulation going on here.

I also have mixed feelings about Webb's foreign policy. While on one hand I think he is very clearly on the right side when he analyzes how America was manipulated by a few neocons into pursuing their agenda in the morass that is Iraq, I couldn't help but feel that on the other hand, Webb was awfully obsessed with his own Vietnam experience. Other than getting out of Iraq, I was left unclear about what kinds of foreign policy goals he would pursue.

I also think his dismissal of environmental issues is too abrupt.

In the end, this is a book worth reading. Obviously, my political beliefs color my view of it somewhat. I do think it is a bit mistitled. This is more about how Jim Webb's life has led him to the beliefs he has now, than it is the set of arguments and policies that one might expect from the title.]]>