Trump considering former Democratic Senator Jim Webb as Secretary of Defense
11 replies, posted
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/us/politics/jim-webb-defense-secretary.html
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering Jim Webb, a former Democratic senator and Reagan-era secretary of the Navy, to be the next defense secretary, according to
three officials, potentially bypassing more hawkish Republicans whose names have been floated to replace Jim Mattis.
Mr. Webb, an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, is being considered as President Trump seeks to carry out campaign promises to withdraw American troops from Syria and
Afghanistan.
How seriously he is being considered was unclear; Mr. Trump likes to float names as he considers his options for various openings in the government — sometimes to test responses
and sometimes to keep the news media guessing.
Mr. Webb, now 72, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968 and served in Vietnam as a Marine rifle platoon and company commander. He was wounded twice and awarded the Navy
Cross, a prestigious award that ranks just below the Medal of Honor, along with other valor awards.
Other names that have surfaced as potential replacements for Mr. Mattis have included a former Republican senator, Jim Talent of Missouri, and two current ones, Tom Cotton of
Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Maybe he's run out of Republicans that want to have any professional relationship with Trump. He's really pissed off, like, the entire GOP lately.
I still never figured out how or why Webb was a Democrat. He's basically a 90s Republican.
probably because he talked about throwing grenades at people in the primary debates
Becuase a 90s republican is still way too reasonable for the post-Gingrich GOP.
OH god please no
Please don't make one of the biggest embarrassments to represent my state the Secretary of Defense (Graham)
I feel like he's just trying to score cheap "See? I like both sides" points.
very doubtful he'd nominate a democrat, he did that with a couple of other posts and immediately fired them.
Why? His base hates that, he knows it, and he's never attempted anything of the sort.
He often signals that he tries without really trying at all, so his base can get mad at the democrats for obstructionism.