CNN

Hey Fact Check – you wrote:

1. S. 3077: A bill to strengthen transparency and accountability in Federal spending.
2. S. 1885: Military Family Job Protection Act
3. S. 1977: Nuclear Weapons Threat Reduction Act of 2007
4. S. 768: Fuel Economy Reform Act
5. S. 674: Transparency and Accountability in Military and Security Contracting Act of 2007

Should I waste my time on angry/bitter racists who can't even be bothered to do their homework?

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You should do your own homework. Not a one of these bills was ever even voted on. Submitting a bill may require paperwork skills but doesn't demonstrate the ability to actually accomplish anything.

Webb is right! Only the wealthly owned slaves. The poor whites followed because they believed the rhetoric sold to them by the wealthly: that it was states rights not the right to own slaves. The wealthly only cared about their lifestyle (and they needed slaves to continue that lifestyle). The poor whites believed in states rights because the wealthly sold that line to keep them in line. Now, once again we are being sold rhetoric (except this time by a black man).

You republicans are on a roll today, I guess the latest insane comment that McCain made regarding the war time frame needs some repair work, they are getting PAID to stay busy today…………...

We can tell who you AREEEEEEEEE.......

OBAMA 08

As an Obama supporter his views on the confederacy shouldn't be held against him. After all if Robert Byrd, an ex KKK member can endorse Barack then Webb's opinions about something long past is irrelevent. This man should not be called a "racist" , because as he points out most of the enlisted men didn't own slaves it was the wealthy landowners. Slavery was only an indirect cause, because the Confederate states resented the Union for interfering in each state's rights.

Webb is right,money was the driving force then just as it is today.If you want the TRUTH just follow the money trail in any situation,then and now.Limbaugh says Global Warming is a hoax,and that he is smarter than all the scientists.Now who might he be working for?

Webb is right, of course. But that is precisely why he shouldn't be Obama's VP.

His academic, tell-it-like-it-is personna rubs alot of folks the wrong way. Especially those "hard-working blue-collar" Americans that Obama needs to make more comfortable with him, not turn off.

Please Obama don't doom yourself by allowing anyone on the ticket as VP!!!

Obama 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, you can't really say you misspoke when you gave a speech and wrote a BOOK on the topic. This may be an interesting intellectual exercise, but I think outside the deep south, everyone thinks that slavery, more than simply state sovereignty (which was code for many years for "the federal government shouldn't tell us what to do because we want to discriminate against minorities") was the clear driving force for the Civil War.

Jim Webb DEFINITELY isn't making the cut to be considered as VP.

Actually, the way things have "progressed" here in the United States, true patriots would be urging secession from the United States in much the way the Founders of this Country did in their fight to secede from the King of England's control back in the 1700's. Just a thought, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "It becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another." How much truer is that today? Secession doesn't have to be a military battle unless the host refuses to recognize the grievances of the other party and refuses to allow the other party to "leave." I bet, if given the option, there would be many states/regions of this Country willing and ready to leave this current Government of the United States.

To Laura in CA and Tom in St. Paul:

So, are you saying that Obama shouldn't have him on the ticket because he'll be viewed as a racist???

Do you how ridicuous that sounds?

What is wrong with you people?

If they only knew the real story about John McCain's first wife. It was reported the other day by the London Press. Former Mrs. McCaIN had a car accident while McCain was in Vietnam. Her medical bills was paid for by Ross Perot for humanitarian reasons. After five years of being a POW when he came home he was picked up by former Mrs. McCain and she was limping and her legs was disfigured. That was the reason why he ditched her for the current one. Bear in mind the former Mrs. McCain was a former model. Why no one reported that on American MSM makes you wonder?? Hmmmm.

Jim Webb is correct! Anyone who has taken a colligaite history course and bothered to stay awake would tell you that slavery was one of many issues in the Civil War.
Linclon had no great love for black people. Taxes had just as much to to do with the war as slavery did. A small percentage of whites owned slaves, the majority of soldiers that died were fighting for reasons other than the freedom of black people. This story is a non-issue, just the rights way of starting troulble. I am black Virginian who voted for Webb. I do not see the contraversy here.

who cares what webb said in his book??he can get votes in his state..however if obama wants to win his VP list is real short.to heal the party both clintons will be the VP. if he wants military experiance and to take a state away from maccain, and to steal independant voters he should go with jesse ventura. if he wants ohio he should forget about strickland and start courting dennis kusinich, who can really carry ohio.what's up with obama's vetting team??fire them all i'll break it down for him, work aroud the clock, 3rd shift and weekends all for minimum wage (what can i say college graduate, but i live in michigan's terrible economy).all the others should just be in his cabinet they probably cant even carry their own state more less bring in independent voters and have military experiance including webb, edwards,strickland,clark,and richardson.ventura and kusinich are real american heros, the clintons just know how to get things done.

whatever the cause (s) of the civil war. we do not need to resurrect
that costly war. we still are a divided country and there is no need for anyone to fan the flames that ignited the civil war. we now have so many problems that need our attention and esp. our congress and president.. our congress has failed us in the two years since it became a democratic majority led by an ineffective speaker pelosi.

Jim Webb for VP

The term "Enemies List" is very clear political shorthand for a revenge list, referencing a Nixon-era list that then-White House counsel John Dean explained was for the purpose of "us(ing) the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies."

So Webb's views of the motivations for the Civil War is a hot topic down in Atlanta, eh CNN?

Next let's see if Obama believes Waterloo should have been fought differently by the French.

Atta boy for another wonderful piece of reporting.

and another one bites the dust...

Great short list Mr Obama

Please don't doom yourself by getting on the ticket with Obama!!!

Obama is a loser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a McCain supporter I think this is rediculous. As usual people on both sides try to take one little gaffe...and this might not even be one, and try to drag their opponents through the mud. We get enough hate coming from the left, the right shouldn't follow suit.

McCain Democrat Name a list of Hillary's accomplishments since she was anointed her State Senate seat??? Don’t worry I'll wait! Years in Washington do not guarantee you leading success. She ran her campaign into 20 million in debt and the old "inexperienced" guy is being begged for cash to help her out! Get over it already!

Senator Webb's argument makes a whole lot of sense. Need I mention I am black, too?

Webb should just stay in Virginia. He brings more baggage than Obama needs for November.

This is idiotic. I thought it was a well-known fact that was taught in school that the issue of state sovereignty was the PRINCIPLE cause of the Civil War and why Confederates fought in it. If people are outraged or surprised by his point of view (based on historical fact), they should go back to 8th grade Social Studies.

I'd like to welcome all the Hillary Clinton supporters to the republican party and thank you for coming to your senses and backing the best candidate, John McCain.

Together we can:

1) help reverse Roe v. Wade and make abortion illegal – let's stop the murder of unborn babies!

2) stop gays from getting married – let's get a constitutional amendment to stop gay marriage and let them know they are not normal!

3) keep fighting the good fight in Iraq for as long as it takes – remember 9/11 and what we are fighting for!

4) get ready to invade Iran – we know they are planning to nuke us – let's get them first! McCain will make sure we do!

Good to see democrats finally waking up and becoming more conservative!

Geez!! Does anyone read US History??? I totally agree with Jim Webb I'm black and from the South and we learn this point that Jim stated way back in 8th grade. Learn your history folks it's not always about slavery.

Well, this shows you the state of our public education system.

Everyone who thinks that there is any racism in Webb's remarks needs to read a history book.

Read about the Tariff of Abominations before making statements about what the civil war was fought over.

Obama throws his pastor under a truck and wants this racist as VP??
C'mon.

Proctor: All right, here's your last question. What was the cause of
the Civil War?

Apu: Actually, there were numerous causes. Aside from the obvious
schism between the abolitionists and the anti-abolitionists,
there were economic factors, both domestic and inter–

Proctor: Wait, wait... just say slavery.

Apu: Slavery it is, sir.

Sovereignty is also a native Hawaiian issue. I don't know Jim Web, and I don't know the south, if his academic view of the civil war conflict is that it was based on rights of the region, I can see the similarity to the issues in Hawaii.

If Jim Web were, as people are insinuating, a racist, glossing over the slavery issue, then why would he be considering being number 2 to Obama?

Mike Huckabee, when talking about the Confederate flag, also saw the flag as a states' right issue. Again, a similar comparison to Hawaii... our state flag is the flag of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

So in a way, the ties between Hawaii born Obama, and southern Jim Web... be it good (both understanding states' rights issues from different backgrounds) or bad (people from outside these states can't comprehend this other than racially motivated), they do intermingle, and they can probably teach each other a thing or two about their diverse backgrounds.

Saying the civil war was about slavery is like saying the Iraq war is about WMDs...

I HOPE HRC DOSN'T TAKE VP. IF ASKED . O.B.'S SUPORTERS ARE FILLED WITH TO MUCH HATE,AND HATED ON THE CLINTONS AND HER SUPPORTERS THROUGH THIS WHOLE RACE. NOW THEY HAVE MCCAIN TO HATE ON. HRC IS WAY ABOVE O.B. AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH LEADING OUR COUNTRY. O.B. HAS TO COPY ALL HER MOVES AND ISSUES. OUR REAL CHANGES WERE KICKED TO THE CURB ALONG WITH HRC. NOV. WILL BE O.B.'S END OF THE ROAD. MCCAIN WILL SMEAR O.B. ALL OVER THE CONVENTION. MCCAIN NOW IS THE ONLY CAPABLE NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT. O.B. IS JUST A GREENHORN WITH A GREAT EMPTY SPEECH.

Oh, and by the way shannon, I've seen more racism since I moved up here to yankee land than I ever did back home.

History is written by the winners.

That doesn't always mean it's correct.

My ancestor, Sam Houston, was known as the "Traitor of Texas" because even though he had slaves, he agreed with Lincoln that the US should not be split in two.

It's popular and easy to claim that slavery was the driving force. Slavery was a catalyst. State's rights had always been at the heart of it.

Wow! As I am a historian, I believe the general historical theory on the Civil War was that state rights was the cause, while taxes, slavery and other issues were part of the overall state right issue.

I say this thinking Jim Webb is a terrible choice for other reasons, please don't let the media (aka CNN) turn against this guy because of his historical perspective.

All Webb did was state the truth. It's not something that anyone should have to "explain" to anyone. The truth is that the Civil War was fought over states rights. A strong central government (federalism), versus seperate but equal states states joined together in a confederacy. It was an argument that had been simmering since the end of the Revolutionary War. While slavery was one of the major points of centention, it was not the only point of contention.

I am not an Obama supporter. But Webb should be allowed his point of view ,which I believe to be the accurate point of view. Political correctness should not be allowed to rivise history, no matter how much the revisionists want it to be so.

The Civil War was about state's rights, why would a bunch of white people get together to fight for the blacks??? Makes no sense at all

No thanks. Webb

Once again-BO is showing Poor judgement in selecting people to surround himself with-hmmmmmmm-

And Why is BO picking someone with experience????-why not pick another Junior Senator????-oh that's right-experience only counts when Obama and his diciples say so!!!

Only hack historians still maintain that slavery was the driving motivation behind the Civil War. REAL historians can show, with overwhelming evidence, that Lincoln care little about the rights of slaves as human beings and was more interested in giving the federal government more power.

So, in this light, Sen. Webb's view isn't just an opinion; it's fact!

Webb would be a logical choice for Vice President.

Their dropping like flies from Obama's short list maybe they know something we don't. LOL

It's not like he is endorsing the practice of owning slaves. He's stating that the confrontation for most who fought was surrounding state's rights and community loyalty. It's a legitimate thesis that has a lot of factual evidence. If anything, he can balance a ticket.

oh no! now the African Americans won't support an Obama/Webb ticket!!!!!

....oh, wait....

Anyway, he's technically right, but it is political silly season so lets get this one out of the way early.

> Should I support a candidate for whom a majority of his supporters
> can't name any of his accomplishments?

1. S. 3077: A bill to strengthen transparency and accountability in Federal spending.
2. S. 1885: Military Family Job Protection Act
3. S. 1977: Nuclear Weapons Threat Reduction Act of 2007
4. S. 768: Fuel Economy Reform Act
5. S. 674: Transparency and Accountability in Military and Security Contracting Act of 2007

Should I waste my time on angry/bitter racists who can't even be bothered to do their homework?

Webb's really is not a good fit for VP consideration whatsover. Some things are better off let alone and the deep wounds of the Civil War should not be a topic of debate.

I agree totally with Jim Webb. As a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains of S.W. Virginia, I lost 6 great-great uncles and my g-g-grandfather in the Civil War. None of these soldiers owned slaves. All were conscripted. In this part of the world, states rights was the issue and not slavery.

Jim is right and will make a good V.P. for Obama.We have the state of Texas and all it corporate wealth running the country right now and you can see what happens when one state runs the country.Little George may have been a bad Governor back then but he sure has been great for Texas oil,Haliburtan,gas and home builders here.He just left the people in the rest of the country out in the cold.

Slavery was not the driving force of the conflict that became the Civil War. Sovereignty of the States, aka "States Rights", was. The issue of slavery was the lynch pin of the Sates Rights conflict was. So slavery was an important issue of the period 1850 to 1861 as it fueled the States Rights conflict, but it was not THE cause. Post Emancipation Proclaimation the abolishment of slavery was thrust to the forefront as the cause, but before then it was only a contributing issue.

I don't think most of you read this at all or ahve any grasp on history....the Civil War wasn't all about slavery. The South had some legitimate state's rights type issues...Webb is not advocating racism.

Obama '08

It is unfortunate that in these "politically correct" times, any viewpoint other than the current PC slant, is attacked by those in the media who typically know little or nothing about the actual facts regarding the statement they are attacking. Webb is partially right, states rights were a concern then (and should be a concern today by thoughtful Americans), and were one of the main issues concerning the South in the decades leading up to the attack of the South by the forces of the North. However, economic concerns also added to the friction between the South and the North. Webb was correct regarding the number of slave holders at that time. Equally important is an understanding that at the time Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the concern wasn't for the human condition of slaves, but rather it was a wartime strategy aimed specifically at slaves of the Southern states (slaves held by owners in Northern states were not inlcuded in that Proclamation). Northern military leadership hoped that the slaves in the South would rise up against their Southern "masters" and cause the South to allocate military resources that would normally be used to fight Union forces to "quell" the hoped for "slave riots", riots that never happened. This is just another example of the winner "re-writing" history. Jim Webb knows better than to speak the truth.

Wow. I'm in disbelief that the idea of slavery can be compared to a war....state sovereignty? You've got to be kidding me. Slavery was a sole means of southern economy for the Confederacy...the cotton industry helped to fuel the economy and give needed money to a region of the country that felt it didn't want to give up its "cash crop". Yes, the Confederacy wanted control over its rights in the goverance of its people and region; but we still can not avoid the fact that slavery was a major component within the economy...

Could someone explain why this is a problem. He has a different viewpoint in regards to the Civil war.. Was it or Wasn't it ALL about slavery?? So where is the problem??? Help me understand.

The Republican researchers are really active, aren't they?
There are many people who hold the view that states' rights was the driving force behind the Civil War. Of course, the argument could be made that it was specifically the right to decide the slavery issue that they rebelled against. Either way, Webb has indicated that this was a statement made as a student of history. At no point does he defend slavery now or then, so far as I can tell. Neither have I seen him defend the confederacy.
Much ado about nothing, as far as I'm concerned.

I have some qualified opinion of this as a history major. State's rights were indeed the driving issue, buoyed along by slavery/emancipation. To describe this historical stance as somehow racially tinged is ludicrous or to suggest that people who feel that slavery is the only issue leading to civil war are correct ignores the very complexity that Webb is talking about. Shame if an intellectually honest person who would never condone slavery is refused a fair hearing for saying that.

He's a perfect VP for Obama. Those whites in Apalachia will be happy to vote for Webb on the ticket. He's perfect, absolutely perfect. He worked in the Pentagon under Reagan, a war hero, he's intelligent unlike Bush and McCain. We both can agree that they are mental midgets.

Gah! It's simultatneously absurd and depressing to see people still arguing that the Civil War was either States' Rights OR Slavery. It certainly couldn't have been both, good heavens no!

Except that it actually was both:

The Confederates were fighting for the right to secede from the Union. (States' Rights) That was the primary motivation for most of the Confederate leaders.

However, the Rebels wanted to secede to protect their economy and their way of life. Those were based on slavery.

So, both of the standard dueling interpretations are missing the point, and all the talk about states' rights and slavery only confuses the chain of causality. Both sides have part of it correct:

The South was fighting to protect their right to secede.
They wanted to secede to protect a society built on slavery.

Of course, Rebel sympathizers/followers of the Lost Cause claim that States' Rights were the only reason, conveniently ignoring the reason behind the Confederate choice to secede. Meanwhile, we Yankees and Northern types claim that Slavery was the only reason, conveniently ignoring the reasons stated by most of the Southerners who were fighting (that they wanted to protect the right of their state to leave the Union at will).

Should I support a candidate for whom a majority of his supporters can't name any of his accomplishments?

Former Clinton Supporters for McCain '08

I am so sick of this argument. What "states' rights" were being trod upon? Slavery! The South mobilized to defend the "state's right" to condone slavery. It is true that only 5%-10% owned slaves, thus the whole effort to spin the cause of the war to "states' rights" which every poor son of the south would rise up to defend. I think Rove/Cheney learned plenty from the selling of that war.

Oh ya, this guy is way better than Hillary for Vice President.......HA.
Next the guy is going to deny slavery, or rewrite history to say the Confederates won.

It sure seems like he is trying to make slavery seem like not that big a deal.

Obama/Clinton 08'

Sen. Webb needs to take an upper-level history college course in the Civil War.

Let's see if Jim Webb can be guilted into running on the VP spot...

Finally it's out!!!! God Bless the South.

It's disgusting the way some people seek to silence dissent by demonizing those who disagree with them.

Historians disagree over all kinds of things. Why is Jim Webb not allowed to have his views on the civil war?

It has become an accepted truth, an article of faith in fact, that the civil war was all about slavery. Perhaps it was, but it illustrates an intellectual weakness if you are unable to defend that position rationally and calmly without resorting to pillorying anyone who disagrees.

If he were a Republican the headline would be:

Republican VP Hopeful Wishes Slave Owning Had Never Ended!

You people are sad apologists for Obama.

Oups, no Web then.

Good for Webb. I applaud historians who are able to look at the facts. History has always been controlled by the publishing companies who print the books and journals. Historic truth has always been shaped, most recently, by the controlling elite who want to further their New World Order agenda of a one-world-government.

I'm black, and I have no real problem with this. The civil war was a terrible tragedy for all Americans. But let me just say, that the Confederacy was in open rebellion and insurrection. The leaders should have been hanged.

Here we go again a week in and already the distractions from issues are flying about!

Hey all you folks who still love Hillary.

The NY Times is running an aritcle about how Her, Bill and her supporters like to keep a so called enemies list.

A list of people who went against them.

Now what do you think? Do you still blindly support her.

She's insane and its going to be known soon how insane.

Webb is just trying to defend The South. Sadly, the decades of the Klan are more than enough proof that racism has been alive and well in the south since blacks were freed. The Civil War was about slavery.

This will not matter because of two reasons. The first is that Webb won't take the V.P. spot. He is smart enough to know that he won by a razor thin majority. He has to hope that he can hold onto that come the next election. The second reason is that Obama is (hopefully) smart enough to know that the majority in the Senate is currently thin; one vote. If he were to pull out to many people to be either be the V.P. or in the cabinet, that loses the majority in the Senate provided it is there after the November election. Besides, Webb has been in the Senate for less than a full term (or even half a term). To lose that much in the Senate at once is going to be hard.

Whoa! Barack, don't touch this guy with a 10 foot pole!

Geez! Obama sure knows how to pick em!!!