Peter Preston
Monday January 29, 2007
The Guardian
Consider the Jim Webb phenomenon. Two decades ago, he was a loyal Republican serving in the upper reaches of Ronnie Reagan's administration. Six months ago, he was a maverick sort-of-Democrat pitched into a losing southern state fight against a hugely popular Republican senator planning to run for president. And now - one televised speech later - he himself seems to be the bloggers' top tip for the White House. Confused? We have only just started.
Now, perhaps, you can see why the Webb phenomenon matters. This very junior senator for Virginia, elected by a whisker last November, gave the TV rebuttal to George W's state of the union address. He's a new, if 60-year-old, face. He's a lavishly decorated ex-marine from a marine family, and has a son serving in Iraq. He has plenty of Washington experience - inside the Pentagon - but he's also a novelist, historian and serial divorcee. He had a public spat with Bush at a party.


