The recent announcement by former Virginia senator Jim Webb that he's running for the Democratic presidential nomination had a deep personal resonance. I may be a Republican and a devoted Jeb Bush supporter, but Webb remains the most fascinating personality I've ever encountered.
Jim and I were friends in the Reagan-era Pentagon, and for ten memorable months he was my boss as secretary of the Navy. His quitting the coveted post of "SecNav" in February 1988 was that rare thing in American government: A resignation on policy grounds, the climax of a bitter dispute he had with the secretary of Defense over the size of the fleet.
The high drama of that fight was no surprise to anyone familiar with Webb. Combat, honor, and the stalwart patriotism of the American yeomanry dominate the six novels Jim has written over the past 40 years. His heroes tend to be courageous and principled young military men who fight out of family tradition, love of country, fealty to brother warriors, and a genetic tendency toward conflict – rather like the author.
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Jim Webb, Webb Campaign Press Release - Chase Untermeyer: Jim Webb: An Unforgettable Character Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/325769