Jim Webb's name floated as possible replacement for Jim Mattis at Defense Secretary.

Jim Webb. New York Times/Getty.

Former Senator and Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb is repeatably being considered as a replacement for Jim Mattis as Defense Secretary. New York Times. Webb ran for president in the 2016 election cycle as a Democrat but his foreign policy beliefs are close to President Trump. Webb was a critic of the Iraq War, opposed Barack Obama's Iran deal and wants to pivot towards China as a major threat to America. Three GOP senators,  Lindsay Graham, Tom Cotton and former senator Jim Talent are also being considered for the seat. However, President Trump has also said that the current acting Secretary, Patrick Shanahan, may be in the seat for quite some time. 

My Comment:

People sometimes ask me if there are any Democrats who I still respect and the first name that always comes to mind is Jim Webb. I remember watching the Democratic debate where Jim Webb was the only adult in the room. Webb is a throwback to older Democrats who disagree with the pro-war neo-liberals but aren't on board with the new socialist and "woke" factions of the party. He might be the last one left and if this happens I fully expect him to be exiled from the party. 

I do have to point out that I have little reason to trust the New York Times reporting here. As always, they are using anonymous sources. This has bitten them so many times I am honestly surprised they are still doing it, so there is a decent chance that the story is false. It could be a deliberate lie or an example of second or third hand gossip. I personally hope it is true but I wish the sourcing was a lot better than this. 

Webb certainly has the credentials to be the Secretary of Defense. He served as Secretary of the Navy and as a Senator, both of which give him a lot of experience. More importantly, Webb is a highly decorated Marine officer who served with distinction in Vietnam. And he did so as a 1st Lieutenant, in combat, so he should understand quite well what the normal soldiers go through. 

I think Webb is a good pick for the role and in theory one that should gather bipartisan support. He's much more of a dove than a hawk so he will meet resistance from both the neocon wing of the GOP and the neoliberal wing of the Democrats. One would think that would leave everyone else to support Webb but I am not so sure. 

On the Democrats side, I think there will be a lot of pressure to oppose Webb just because Trump wants him. He also said a long time ago that he didn't want women in combat, even though he changed his views. Regardless the woke portion of the Democrats, who will already hate Webb for being a white male, will consider that sexist. 

For Republicans, there will be concern over the fact that Webb is a Democrat. Sure, he's the last remaining Blue Dog Democrat of note but that doesn't change the fact that he isn't a member of the party. Plus I would expect resistance from the hawkish neocon wing of the party, as reduced as it is. 

I think on merit Webb is a great pick and one that should be confirmed. But politically he might face difficulties during the Senate confirmation if any GOP senators balk at him and if the Democrats don't support him. I think he is a good choice but he might be difficult to confirm. 

As for the other possibilities in the article, I am not so sure. I am not really too familiar with Tom Cotton or Jim Talent, other than I think that Cotton can better serve in the Senate. Lindsay Graham I am all to familiar with and I am not a fan. 

Graham is a famous war hawk and has never met a war he doesn't like. I remember him almost crying at the GOP debates when he was begging for war against Assad in Syria. His foreign policy is everything I don't like about the neocon wing and though he has supported Trump recently and has turned around many of his other policies I still think he would be a negative influence on Trump. Plus, I think he should remain in the senate as he is at least somewhat loyal to President Trump now. 

Whoever is nominated it remains to be seen if they can fill the larger than life shoes of Jim Mattis. Mattis is a popular and respected member of the military. His tenure at Defense was more mixed as he did a good job against ISIS but failed in Afghanistan. If it is Jim Webb that does replace him, he will inherit a difficult pullout from Syria and a quagmire in Afghanistan. I wouldn't blame him if he turns it down if I am totally honest.