Bushie, when he went on this little chops-busting exercise, was aware that about a week or two prior, Webb the Younger was on operations in an armored vehicle next to another armored vehicle which was attacked by an explosive device.  Three Marines in that second vehicle were killed.

Webb's son probably had those KIA marines in his platoon.  If they were in his platoon, that meant Webb's son was on the scene when those close to him were killed.  Even if they were not in his platoon, they were surely in his company and known to him and the other members of his platoon, and he had to deal with not only his own emotions, but also the emotions of his fellow soldiers.

Even though, as a lance corporal, he didn't have to write one of those letters to the dead Marines' families, not having to might have been worse.  If you've ever had to write one of those letters, nothing further need be said about how hard it is, though I'm told there is a certain expiation which can come from the writing.  Young Webb didn't get that.  (I never did have to write one, though one of my soldiers was killed in an on-duty accident a few weeks after another lieutenant took over my platoon.  That was hard enough.)  If you haven't had to write one of those letters, you might only get the outlines of just how massively disrespectful Bushie's comment was, but you surely get that it was.

So, the dishonest boor was not only breaking chops about Webb's son being in Iraq.  He was also dishonoring dead Marines.  But, most importantly Bushie was taunting Webb about not only that his son was deeply in harm's way, but also with Bushie's power to put Webb' son further in harm's way (and Bushie's own kin not being there).

Another thing that stands out about this is that if Webb really believes as he has consistently argued, that this Bush started this war for light and transient reasons, all without putting forward a graspable definition of "winning"--well, if he believes all that, then it would be the height of disingenuity to perform social niceties with the man.  

Add Webb's supposedly firm belief that Bush's domestic policies tangibly threaten the poor, and make light of all our civil liberties--and then you get a man who has no business whatever answering Bush's question in any way other than how he did.

From AP HERE:

President Bush's high-profile meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday was canceled in a stunning turn of events after disclosure of U.S. doubts about the Iraqi leader's capabilities and a political boycott in Baghdad protesting his attendance.
-------
The abrupt cancellation was an almost unheard-of development in the high-level diplomatic circles of a U.S. president, a king and a prime minister. There was confusion -- and conflicting explanations -- about what happened.
Bush had been scheduled to meet in a three-way session with al-Maliki and Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday night, and had rearranged his schedule to be in Amman for both days for talks aimed at reducing the spiral of violence in
Iraq.

Given the vitriol that Jim Webb has gotten from the Beltway Gasbags today, I'm cracking up at the fact that just three weeks ago, they were pointing to him as an example of how Americans were "still conservative".

Remember? Webb was supposed to be a "conservative Democrat" because, well, just because they said so. After all, didn't he serve in Reagan's Pentagon? And he's a Marine! And it's Virginia! And apparently that's all they needed to make their sage proclamations about Webb's victory.

Then he went on Lou Dobbs and waxed populist and wrote that fiery WSJ op-ed, and you could almost picture the gasbags looking at each other nervously. He was supposed to be "conservative"! They had SAID SO!

And now? He's a "boor".

Whether they're nodding sagely about how obvious it is that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction, or yammering on about a guy they didn't know existed two months ago (and didn't take seriously until he won his election), this is just more evidence that those idiots don't know the first thing about the crap they're yammering about.

You can't blame a snake for being a snake, a dog for being a dog, or a sycophantic opinion writer for being a sycophantic opinion writer.

How do you THINK his son is doing, Dubya?  Will?

The lack of imagination is staggering.  As if Webb would say, "Just great."  The only answer to Webb's question is "He's stuck in a stupid war your mentally retarded as* got us into, he's in mortal danger every minute of every day, I get sick to my stomach just thinking about it."

What other answer is there but contempt.  As if, no, Webb's kid got assigned to a golf course in rural Iraq where all sectarian differences play second fiddle to hitting the revered links.

You do bring up a point that others have missed, the fact that Webb took off and didn't want to have his picture taken with the man Webb believes placed his son in danger of his life for shallow and selfish reasons. Don't you think that staying and taking one of those handshaking, smiling photos would have been hypocritical? I bet Webb thought so.

One who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior.

A polite question about his son?

Give me a break! This is just the kind of point bloggers should be making.

Bush has put Webb's son in danger. His question is like a little kid asking, as he hangs a puppy by its hind legs out of a second-floor window, "How's your dog?"

The question was aggressive and abusive.

the great khan never entered into battle, without knowing precisely what his goals were, having sufficient troops to achieve them, and a plan to totally subjugate the civilian population, and bring it under his control once military victory was his.

his empire lasted several hundred years after his death, the same will not be true of mr. bush.

jim, if i read you correctly (and i do, always, you're pretty transparent) had bush been hitler, and webb the father of a son in dachaou, he should have still observed the civil niceties, because that wasn't really the time or place?

things that make you go, hmmmmmmmmmmm!

webb exemplifies the attitude that the dems should take, in the new congress. why be friendly to a group that has utterly screwed this country up? i wouldn't be. they can all go hang themselves, as far as i'm concerned.