Product Description

“I’m the only person in the history of Virginia elected to statewide office with a Union card, two Purple Hearts, and three tattoos."

Jim Webb—the bestselling author and now the celebrated, outspoken U.S. Senator from Virginia—presents a clear-eyed, hard-hitting plan of attack for putting government to work for the people, rather than special interests, and for restoring the country's standing around the world.

Infused with the intelligence, force, and firebrand style that has earned Senator Jim Webb enormous national attention from his earlest days in office, A Time to Fight offers a thorough and provocative assessment of the thorniest issues Americans face today, along with cogent solutions drawn from Webb's lifetime of experience as a much-decorated Marine, a widely traveled, award-winning journalist and novelist, a highly placed member of the Reagan administration, a Senator with a son who fought as a Marine in Iraq and, perhaps most important, a proud scion of America's vast but frequently ignored working class.

Webb exposes how America has entered a dangerous, unprecedented cycle of seemingly unsolvable unknowns. Our economic policies, particularly in this age of globalization, have produced widely divergent results leading to a country calcifying along class lines. Our demographic makeup has been altered dramatically and is set to keep on changing, through both legal and illegal immigration. Our editorialists and politicians talk about the American dream, and some urge us to bring democracy to the rest of the world. But more than two million Americans are now in prison, by far the highest incarceration rate in the so-called advanced world. Our foreign policy is confused, without clear direction; increasingly vulnerable to such largely unexamined long-term threats as China's emerging power while it has become bogged down in the never-ending struggles of the Middle East. As this drift toward societal regression has taken place, America's leadership has largely been paralyzed, unable or unwilling to stop the slide. "Where are the leaders?" Webb asks. "Has our political process become so compromised by powerful interest groups and the threat of character assassination that even the best among us will not dare to speak honestly about the solutions that might bring us back to common sense and fundamental fairness?"

Through vivid personal narratives of the struggles members of his family faced, and citing the courageous actions of presidents ranging from Andrew Jackson to Teddy Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower, A Time to Fight provides specific, viable ideas for restoring fairness to our economic system, correcting the direction of national security efforts, ending America's military occupation of Iraq, and developing greater government accountability. Webb brings a fresh perspective to political dynamics that have shaped our country. His stirring, populist manifesto calls upon voters to make the choices that will change America for the better in this election season.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216799 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-19
• Released on: 2008-05-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
“The best tour of the capitol I’ve ever taken . . . a vivid analysis of the folly of our foreign policy and the unfairness of our domestic one.”
—Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg.com

“A Time to Fight may be the best evocation of the twenty-first century Democratic Party’s emerging style and philosophy. Webb is a . . . terrific writer . . . and now he has written a policy book that is actually worth reading, an unprecedented feat for a sitting politician.”
—Joe Klein, Time

“Jim Webb is a serious writer, not a politician who writes books on the side . . . He offers a fresh approach to politics and stirs excitement.”
—Elizabeth Drew, New York Review of Books

Review
“The best tour of the capitol I’ve ever taken . . . a vivid analysis of the folly of our foreign policy and the unfairness of our domestic one.”
—Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg.com

“A Time to Fight may be the best evocation of the twenty-first century Democratic Party’s emerging style and philosophy. Webb is a . . . terrific writer . . . and now he has written a policy book that is actually worth reading, an unprecedented feat for a sitting politician.”
—Joe Klein, Time

“Jim Webb is a serious writer, not a politician who writes books on the side . . . He offers a fresh approach to politics and stirs excitement.”
—Elizabeth Drew, New York Review of Books

About the Author

JIM WEBB is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and the author of nine books, including the bestselling cultural history Born Fighting and the classic novel of the Vietnam War Fields of Fire as well as Lost Soldiers, The Emperor's General, and three other novels. As a Marine in Vietnam he received the nation's second- and third-highest awards for combat heroism. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration. In January 2009, upon the retirement of Senator John Warner, Webb will become Virginia’s senior U.S. Senator. 

Customer Reviews

A man who thinks for himself
In his refreshingly good A Time to Fight, Jim Webb, junior senator from Virginia confesses that he once spent a few years as a boxer and that sometimes when he enters the Senate Chamber he thinks, "This is the ring. The American people can see us here, and listen to our arguments. This is where the fights matter." In A Time to Fight, he aims to let us know which battles he thinks are worth fighting.

If you think (as, I confess, I did before reading this book) that you've got Jim Webb pegged down as your typical charismatic, flag-waving warrior, think again. He reveals himself in these pages to be an independent thinker who doesn't parrot the latest partisan mantra but instead is imaginative and courageous enough to take the best from both sides of the aisle. He endorses the Nixon Doctrine, for example, actually calling it the best foreign policy of his lifetime. He's also a deeply patriotic man who admits that he feels humbled whenever he sees the Capitol building and thinks about what it symbolizes. Yet his patriotism and his understanding of the US as a superpower aren't chauvinist or neoconservative. He thinks the current war was a mismanaged and needless affair. He's extremely critical of the growing imbalance of wealth in this country. He calls for a revamping of the criminal justice system, worrying that the country has gone "completely jail happy." He warns that in recent years the executive branch has become disproportionately powerful. And he has a deep and abiding faith in the ability of citizens, when properly informed and responsibly represented, to govern themselves well.

Webb tells us early on that he has an "innate distrust of the ornaments of power," and most of the battles he wants to take on deal with the abuse of power. In all this, his intellectual commitment to democracy as well as his personal dedication and decency come through loud and clear. In a year in which several very good books by American politicans have appeared, A Time to Fight is one that's reflective, insightful, and inspiring. Webb's a guy to watch.

Insightful; Deep
This book doesn't always lend itself to partisan ideology, but, rather, is a remedial and a clarion call to those who are tired of a non-solutions based rigidity in Washington. A wake up call, I suppose.

I read this on a whim, having only heard of Webb in passing. I thought he sounded quite impressive when I heard him on c-span, so that made it easier. I enjoyed this book in totality. He is a lot deeper than he occasionally lets on, as his humble attitude tends to shield his incredible intellect at times. Until he actually starts to speak/type, whetever, then it is all very clear: Jim Webb is a true intellect.

Jim seems to be a gifted writer, as well. I don't know his methodology, but he is a fantastic story teller. Prose is readable, yet eloquent. Lots of historical references that help; many personal stories, too. Webb lays out a slue of new ideas, new ways of thinking about politics, and shares a sentiment that all parties can get down with. As with any book like this, I want to be glowing to a certain extent afterwards. I want to feel patriotic and like there is hope for American politics. This book achieves that.

Jim Webb is far more than an effective legislator; he is an honest character.

Check it out.

Man For the People
I don't usually pick up contemporary political books, but decided to read Senator Webb's new book after hearing him speak on an NPR segment. As a probable McCain voter and moderate Republican, I also hoped to challenge my own political opinions.

Webb's discussion of the military was moving and pragmatic. He advocates a more influential and independent military, with long-term strategies and strong leaders, like MacArthur, who are not afraid to disagree with the President. With a very political, but nonetheless heartfelt tone, he speaks to the diversity of the military and how his experiences with other soldiers from very different walks of life ultimately forged his political views.

In much of the remainder of the book, the Senator provides a discourse against the class struggle that he believes to be destroying America. He attacks globalization, lucrative executives and special interests and portrays himself as a man of the people in contrast to many of the "elites" in the Senate. While I believe Webb supports many of the interests of the underprivileged, he is at times overly self-righteous. Especially considering that the Senator - a direct descendent of an officer who served with George Washington, son of a decorated military veteran, Naval Academy graduate and Former Secretary of the Navy - had a perfect pedigree for the Senate and many more advantages than most. In fact, he is more like his admired Tolstoy, the Russian literary giant and famed anarchist who was deeply grieved by his fellow aristocrats, than Truman, (of more humble origins) whom he also refers to.

There are further sections supporting a weaker executive branch that distinguish Jim Webb from other Democrats.

I doubt I will be fighting for Jim Webb in November should he make the VP ticket. However, his new book raises important issues - many of which are not new. Some of these issues receive insightful and innovative analysis, while others are addressed with an increasingly tedious party line.