Smith and Lesson

NewsBusters chastises CBS "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith for observing, in an interview with Dem Sen. Jim Webb that A) Jim's "the least political person I know who's ever run for office," B) Jim's novels are "phenomenal" and "amazing."

I've known Jim for 18 years (kids went to school together) and we were neighbors in Falls Church, Virginia. I spent a lot of time in the presence of Jim and then-wife Jo Ann's (she's my best friend). Hung around the house, dinners, parties, went to Jim's niece's wedding a couple of years ago...

I can knowledgably observe Jim is the LAST person I ever thought would run for elected office. Although brilliant, intense, and opinionated, Jim seemed content to churn out his "amazing" (yes, amazing) books and movie scripts.

Jim's refusal to don the phony mantle of, say, where shall I begin? John Kerry, is mountain air to the hot air political stench. Jim can be "scary" (my daughter and friends) and eschews fools. But at least you know where he stands, unlike the Stepford Politicians... He'd bring the white gun nuts, Joe Sixpack, the dissatisfied McCain military vets, to an Obama ticket...

John McCain is hardly a "maverick" compared with the iconoclastic Jim... I doubt that Jim could be swayed by political trappings and carrots dangling from sticks...