Legal Commentary

Pols Are Not Your Friends

By Big Tent Democrat

This interview excerpt with Jim Webb has been going around:

Josh Nelson: You mentioned the role the blogosphere played in your Senate campaign. I was wondering if you could elaborate on that a little bit. And also tell us what type of role you would like to see them play in legislative fights in the future.

Jim Webb: The blogs… the good news and bad news about blogs. First the bad news. The bad news is anybody can say anything about someone and they don’t even have to put their name on it. In fact, the anonymity encourages irresponsibility. And it is pretty frustrating, I’ll be honest with you, that’s why I just stopped reading this stuff a long time ago. . . . [MORE]

The good is, when there are allegations made, in any variety of formats, there are people who know the facts, and step forward, and correct the facts. People who put their name on it and correct. . . . With respect to legislation, what I, I think the blogs really communicate, in a very intelligent way, on a couple of these really complicated issues, I would hope they wouldn’t lock themselves into positions so early, uh, there’s some really complex pieces of legislation that kind of get boiled down…

Josh Nelson: Are you talking about FISA?

Jim Webb: Specifically I’m thinking about FISA since I have to vote on it tomorrow afternoon. . . . That’s a very complicated issue and I’ve looked at it from every single angle that it can be looked at. Having had the black clearances that we were talking about, and at the same time I’m very strong on privacy rights. It’s not an issue that is easy to boil down in the way a lot of the blogging community has boiled it down.

What's missing is any explanation for Jim Webb's position on FISA. He never has explained it. and I imagine he never will.

But the real point of my post is pols are pols. And yes Jim Webb is a pol now. They do what they do. NONE of them are your friend. Falling into spells of admiration for them is simply ridiculous and counterproductive - if you care about issues that is.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 15, 2008 (boomark / email).