Allen – Web, on the Issues, Six and One Half of One - Half Dozen of the Other

DL Ennis
October 10, 2006

Virginia Sen. George Allen and former Navy secretary James Webb clashed over issues and character in a 60-minute debate, held in Richmond last night.

The candidates jousted over the war in Iraq, “…responding to a question from the moderator, Russ Mitchell of CBS News, about the 2,700 Americans killed since the war began.”

Allen has accused Webb of wanting to "cut and run" from Iraq, while in past debates and on the campaign trail, Webb has called the war "a strategic blunder of historic proportions" and criticized Allen for not asking tougher questions about President Bush's conduct of the war and its aftermath.

During the debate, Web responded to Allen's argument that Democrats would leave Iraq as a haven for terrorists. "Nobody wants to see terrorism in Iraq or elsewhere," Webb said. He reiterated his position that peace and stability could be achieved in Iraq through diplomacy involving other countries, including those in the region.

Web said—speaking of the republicans: "Very few of these leaders are willing to invest their own loved ones in this effort," he said of the war in Iraq. "America needs leaders who understand these divisions and want to repair them, leaders whose experience in foreign policy is formed by experience, not by sound bites."

Allen called for a balanced-budget amendment and a line-item veto to help control spending. Webb, who railed against corporate profits, said big companies should pay more.

Allen repeatedly attacked Webb for what he said was his support for tax increases, citing Webb's statements questioning tax cuts championed by Bush. In an earlier debate, Webb said, "I don't understand how you can have a tax cut and be spending $500 billion on the war."

Web said that he would only want to see a “…roll back tax cuts for the wealthy, not tax cuts for married couples or cuts in estate taxes,” as Allen has contended in a television commercial and asserted again during the debate. "I never said that I would agree with tax increases that you used in your ad."

In response to a question about day-laborer centers in Herndon, Allen said Webb's positions on immigration would reward illegal behavior. "This is a country that has been built by legal immigrants, and we should not be rewarding illegal behavior," Allen said.

Webb accused Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress of failing to secure the borders, making the day-laborer centers a necessary step for local governments.

Allen questioned Webb's commitment to the war on terrorism, asking whether he supported the National Security Agency's wiretapping. Webb said he understands the need for such spying but would insist on oversight from Congress and judges.

While I personably agree with some stands on both sides, I believe that Web has a more sincere want to correct some of the issues that republicans have made worse over the past six years. Such as an increase in corporate profits at the expense of wages.

Web is seeking a more economically equal environment among American citizens, while Allen is stay the course of padding corporate bigwig’s pockets.

Republicans have had six years to show us what they have and have blundered nearly everything, and while I believe that America needs a big change, Democrats are not the entire answer but are the lesser of the two evils.

Visit TAFANA for more political opinion.

Above quotes from:

Allen, Webb in Slashing, Wide-Ranging Debate

By Michael D. Shear and Tim CraigWashington Post Staff WritersTuesday, October 10, 2006; Page A01

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articl ... leID=14624