Jim Webb is coming out of the gate swinging. I’m really enjoying watching him and I think he’s going to be a great Senator.

Read this article from the WaPo which provides more details about the context of the quote I posted above. I hope that Jim Webb can be a leading voice to end the war in Iraq now and bring the troops home over the next couple months.

From the WaPo:

“I’m not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall,” Webb said in an interview yesterday in which he confirmed the exchange between him and Bush. “No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I’m certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration. [But] leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is.”

In the days after the election, Webb’s Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill went out of their way to make nice with Bush and be seen by his side. House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sat down for a lunch and photo opportunity with Bush, as did Democratic leaders in the Senate.

Not Webb, who said he tried to avoid a confrontation with Bush at the White House reception but did not shy away from one when the president approached.

The White House declined to discuss the encounter. “As a general matter, we do not comment on private receptions hosted by the president at the White House,” said White House spokeswoman Dana M. Perino.

Webb said he has “strong ideas,” but he also insisted that — as a former Marine in Vietnam — he knows how to work in a place such as the Senate, where being part of a team is important.