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| A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America | 
 enlarge | Author: Jim Webb
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.47
You Save: $12.48 (50%)
New (43) Used (18) from $11.15
Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 16208
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0767928350
Dewey Decimal Number: 320.60973
EAN: 9780767928359
ASIN: 0767928350
Publication Date: May 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New with Dust Jacket, Never Been Read, Pristine Condition, Delivery Confirmation, NOT A REMAINDER, NOT BCE
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| Customer Reviews:
 Warrior Poet May 29, 2008
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
Jim Webb is a classic warrior poet in the sense of the Celtic tradition. He is also a true maverick, who thinks for himself, which seems an oddity in today's Washington. A former SecNav and Assist. SecDef in the Reagan Administration, he quit due to disagreements on policy.
Webb was awarded the Navy Cross for conspicuous gallantry on the battlefield as a Marine company commander in Viet Nam. He is a prize-winning author of nine books and as an accomplished journalist. He is the epitome of a modern renaissance man.
In a Time to Fight, he writes of a process for correcting what is wrong in American society today. Not an easy task. Rather than being another dry political tome, Webb's book is intelligent, insightful and entertaining. In addition to the big picture, he interspaces his writing with personal experiences and perceptions, ranging from the anger and sadness of loss, to the euphoria of achievement.
This is a book that is not written about a single moment in time that, once read can be discarded, like so many "insider" books of the day. A Time to Fight is a book of principle and foresight that can be re-read and reinvigorate the reader to take positive action to help save a damaged nation. It is a book of values and realistic corrective measures. Beyond a doubt, well worth reading.
Not at all a "company man", Webb will do an excellent job as the Senator from Virginia and may, one day I hope, run for and become president. Looking around at today's selection, we could certainly do a great deal worse, but rarely better.
Remember the "Arizona Territory", RVN. Semper Fi, Skipper!
 A VERY disapointing book June 22, 2008
9 out of 24 found this review helpful
Jim Webb is one of my home stat's Senators. Given is non-traditional road to politics, I thought "hey at least this guy will have a fresh perspective." I was sadly disappointed. Jim Webb starts out well, but finishes as another whiny Democrat who names names, but only Republicans. I mean what will his fellow Dems do...kill him? Our country can't turn the corner until everyone involved quits trying to get re-elected and puts the self-licking ice cream cone notion of Federal government to rest. It doesn't work, it can't work, it never will work. Put the Fed back in a place of servitude, not the place of lord-and-master that baby boomers seem to desire.
 Reduced Expectation July 12, 2008
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
I read this book with high expectations that decreased markedly by the end. I had seen Senator Webb on CSPAN and read about him, concluding that he was my kind of politician. Like other viewers, it seemed that he was a thinker and doer, not another pandering, flag-waving, lapel flag pin wearer, most of whom never served anywhere or anything other than their moneyed supporters. I was only partly correct. The writings about his family history, and particularly his military service are enlightening and even inspiring at times. Although he criticizes the military establishment carefully, he is fundamentally a believer in the military way, similar to John McCain. Having served in combat in WW II, under generally poor leaders, I am not convinced.
He does a superb job of pointing out the many problems our country has. He also discusses the continued focus of politicians and the media on trivia as opposed to these problems. However, I don't need him to tell me about them. Anyone who reads a decent newspaper or watches the Congress in action on CSPAN, talking a lot but doing little, is aware of the problems. The question is what do we do about them? Time to fight who, where, what? Other major problems he dismisses. Whether it is strategically correct or not, the Iraq war is being financed by borrowing from the rest of the world, and is dangerous (especially with the Chinese). All while we cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations and pass the burden to our children and grandchildren!
Obviously, my main criticism is that there are no suggested solutions. To copy a famous lady's statement "where's the beef"? Complaining about our government is fine but Senator Webb is a powerful part of what he is criticizing. Finally, I thought it very illuminating that he voted for President Bush's FISA bill (along with Obama, who talks continuously about change,yea), a bill which goes a long way toward trashing the fourth amendment to the Constitution. This from a lawyer who taught constitutional law?
 Unusual, Thoughtful--Ideal as McCain's Vice President June 17, 2008
7 out of 17 found this review helpful
The next President is going to have to tear down the US military, resurrect the atrophied civilian instruments of national power, and recreate the U.S. government in a manner that allows us to eliminate the debt and the deficit while waging peace and successfully nailing isolated organized crime, corporate corruption, and individual terrorists.
This means that a Democrat need not apply (less Senator Sam Nunn as either Vice President or Secretary-General for National Security, overseeing Defense, State, and Justice). As I put this book down I was thinking to myself, estranged Republican that I am: "this guy is too good to be a Democrat (or a Republican!)." I stand with Senator Hagel who is calling for a new party and an end to the two-party spoils system How about Bloomberg-Webb? Or Bloomberg-Powell with Nunn at Defense, Hagel at State, and Webb as Chief of Staff?
I take away one star because despite the candor and the reflective tone, the surprising but welcome comments against both the military-industrial complex and the prison complex (most of which is based on marijuane and is used to create slaves for the corporations running the prisons), the author did not offer a strategic framework.
He mentions Tony Zinni with favor, and he does a good job of suggesting that many generals did in fact try to talk the civilian leadership out of the elective occupation on attack, but I for one do not buy the latter. What they should have done was had Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz arrested and turned over to Congress, and told Dick Cheney to go fly a kite.
It is my personal view that the Democratic and Republican parties are dead. A new political demographic is emerging in America, one that demands multiple parties, an end to winner take all control of either the Executive or any half of Congress, and an end to "party line" treason.
Jim Webb is not a Democrat. He is, as Ike so famously said in answer to Marshall's question, an American. It is just possible we may have found a leader for a new era, an era that demands the leader engage all of us in conversation, and not lead so much as facilitate and nurture. See the images I load above.
Right now, Chuck Hagel, Joe Biden, and Jim Webb are people I respect, and I hope they, rather than the staff pukes that do not read and have never operated overseas, have the necessary influence to draw our new map of the world. Combine them with Joe Nye, Tony Zinni, and a handful of others who have not sold their soul to the beltway bandits, and we just might have what it takes to fight smart.
This is not a political book. This is more akin to public philosophy aloud.
See also:
The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World
The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems in Ways Liberals and Conservatives Can Love
The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics
Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Public Philosophy: Essays on Morality in Politics
Revolutionary Wealth: How it will be created and how it will change our lives
The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace
Getting Government to Work Better June 22, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
The author explains the experience inherent in
getting elected. He describes the Senate itself
as a collection of 100 fiefdoms.
Currently, Senator James Webb describes a permanent
underclass in America together with societal regression.
The middle class has dwindled from the accumulative
inflation since the 50s, corporate downsizing, greed,
outsourcing and a collection of other things tangentially
dealt with in the book. I believe that another book
could be written on the strategies to deal with the
underclass amongst both whites and people of color.
Part of the solution to our underclass will be to fund
collegiate education more generously.
In addition, we must deal successfully with the
"Secession of the Successful". In every profession,
there are people of color. The challenge will be to harness this knowledge and know-how for the benefit of the communities which
either raised them or participated significantly in
the initial education. There are technologies available
to accomplish this feat. Although the author doesn't say so,
artificial intelligence, "advice giving systems" and
supercomputing are available to capture knowledge,
know-how, apprenticeship and complex operational perspectives
gained over the course of a lifetime.
A section decries the excesses of executive power.
This part is stated correctly. I believe that the
current and future Chief Executives should equalize
the power in the cabinet. Currently, there seems to
be too much concentration of power in the military
to the detriment of the other cabinet members.
This imbalance of power may have consequences. i.e.
the unchecked development of the variable interest
rate loan write-offs and growing personal bankruptcies
The author provides a good idea which involves the
deployment of a multi-national naval force to guarantee
free transit in the Gulf. The USA is in a good position
to insist upon this feature concurrent with the downsizing
of our Iraq troop strength. Besides, my approach to the
war will have been the sanctions first. If the sanctions
did not work, I would have utilized commandos and special
forces more judiciously before even considering the
wholesale deployment of the Armed Forces.
The book criticizes Congress for laxity in reviewing the
decision to authorize the President to utilize troops
in Iraq. In retrospect, Senator Kerry's idea to allow the
sanctions to work will have been the preferred route.
Nonetheless, an opportunity exists to re-shape Iraq into
a nation with a brand new electronic infrastructure
together with municipal state-of-the-art accounting
systems to monitor the revenue sharing and municipal
services optimally. The current Administration does
get some credit for creating the opportunity to
re-shape Iraq in the post Saddam period-albeit at a
great cost.
The book decries the fact that 1% of Americans own or
control 50% of the stocks. Our challenge as a nation
is to save more. This process cannot happen without a
rational energy policy that lowers the costs of operating
both households and businesses of all sizes. In addition,
our corporate institutions must review pay equity to
narrow the difference between the senior management and
entry level workers. Alternatively, this task may be
accomplished with worker ownership of the company or more
generous profit sharing plans for workers at every level.
The author quite correctly complements President Eisenhower
for criticizing the excesses of the military and the
armament industry. Clearly, the author would like to see
an improvement in the way our leaders are selected.
Concurrent with this need is a related one. That is, people
must perceive that the opportunity to serve outweighs
the negativity in the conduct of politics itself.
Ultimately, our country will pass down both the successes
and flaws of governance.
The book has some excellent points for discussion both
now and for the future. The issues raised could occupy
several books on a multiplicity of subjects.
Finally, the next Administration could plug the holes
between responsibility centers of the federal government
and state governments. Closing this divide would provide
better disaster recovery/contingency planning and
anticipation for the random vagaries of nature.
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