Editing Jim Webb (section)

==United States Senate==

===2006 Senate campaign===
[[File:Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Chuck Schumer, and former Senator Bob Kerrey campaign for Jim Webb's bid for U.S. Senate in 2006.jpg|thumb|Former President [[Bill Clinton]], Senate Minority Leader [[Harry Reid]], Senator [[Chuck Schumer]], and former Senator [[Bob Kerrey]] campaign for Jim Webb's bid for U.S. Senate]]
[[File:Jim Webb Rally.jpg|thumb|Then-Senator [[Barack Obama]], former Governors [[Doug Wilder]], [[Mark Warner]], and then-Governor [[Tim Kaine]] campaign for Jim Webb]]
{{Main|2006 United States Senate election in Virginia}}

In late 2005, a campaign to [[Draft (politics)|draft]] Webb to run for the [[United States Senate|Senate]] in 2006 began on the internet, promoted by [[netroots]] activists such as those at the blog [[Raising Kaine]]. On February 7, 2006, he announced that he would seek the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nomination for the 2006 Senate race against incumbent [[Virginia]] Senator [[George Allen (U.S. politician)|George Allen]].<ref name="Shear20060208">{{Cite news|last=Shear|first=Michael D.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020701852.html |title=Reagan Navy Secretary Will Run for U.S. Senate |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2006-02-08|access-date=2006-10-29 |page=B05}}</ref>

In the Democratic primary on June 13, 2006, Webb faced longtime businessman and lobbyist Harris Miller. Webb won with 53.5% of the vote, in a race with low turnout.<ref name="PrimaryResults">{{Cite web|url=http://sbe.virginiainteractive.org/june2006/d_025.htm|title=Official Results: Primary Election, June 13, 2006|publisher=Commonwealth of Virginia|access-date=2006-06-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620015747/http://sbe.virginiainteractive.org/june2006/d_025.htm|archive-date=June 20, 2006|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On August 11, 2006, an incident occurred in which Allen used the word ''[[Macaca (slur)|macaca]]'' to refer to Webb campaign associate [[S.R. Sidarth]], who was filming an event as a "tracker" for the Webb campaign. A poll the following week showed Webb gaining 10 percentage points. The race, which at one point looked like a sure win for Allen, became one of the most watched and closest races of the 2006 elections. Webb's entry into the race and primary victory changed the political landscape. Political analyst [[Larry Sabato]] said in May that "Jim Webb is George Allen's worst nightmare: a war hero and a Reagan appointee who holds moderate positions.... Allen tries to project a Reagan aura, but Webb already has it."<ref name="Donnelly2006">{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1191863,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630090955/http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1191863,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2006|date=May 15, 2006|magazine=Time|title=Betting on a Novice in Virginia|last=Donnelly|first=Sally B.}}</ref>

On September 7, 2006, Webb released his first television advertisement, which included footage of a 1985 speech by [[Ronald Reagan]] that praised Webb's service as a Marine.<ref name="Shear20060908">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/AR2006090701596.html|title=Television Ad Shows Reagan Praising Webb In 1985 Speech|last=Shear|first=Michael D.|date=September 8, 2006|page=B8|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The next day, the Chief of Staff for the [[Reagan Library]] wrote to Webb's campaign on behalf of former first lady [[Nancy Reagan]], urging them not to air the advertisement saying it was neither fair nor respectful because it gave the impression of an endorsement.<ref name="reagan">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090801720.html|title=Nancy Reagan Asks Webb to Pull Ad With Her Husband|access-date=2008-05-22|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 9, 2006|last1=Shear|first1=Michael D.|first2=Tim|last2=Craig|page=B01}}</ref><ref name="wp0914">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401583.html|title=Editorial: Let Reagan Be Reagan|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 15, 2006|page=A18}}</ref> The Webb campaign disagreed, saying, "What Reagan said about Jim Webb, that belongs to Jim Webb, frankly."<ref name="reagan" /> The library said they ask all candidates to refrain from using the former president's image but declined to say if they would request the Allen campaign to remove the image of Reagan used on his campaign website.<ref name="reagan" />

Five female graduates of the [[United States Naval Academy]] held a press conference, decrying Webb's 1979 article, "Women Can't Fight." The women said Webb's article contributed to an atmosphere of hostility and harassment towards women at the academy. Webb was later endorsed by nine military women who stated that Webb is a "man of integrity" who "recognizes the crucial role that women have in the military today."<ref name="wt1018">{{Cite news |url=http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20061017-114853-2578r.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061102021546/http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20061017-114853-2578r.htm|archive-date=November 2, 2006|title=Military women support Webb as 'man of integrity'|last=McLaughlin|first=Seth|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=October 18, 2006}}</ref>

In October 2006, the Allen campaign issued a press release quoting several passages from Webb's novels with sexual content, including graphic references to female anatomy and purported pedophilia, homosexuality and incest, citing a passage in which a Southeast Asian father ritually places the penis of his young son in his mouth. The press release said that the passages showed a "continued pattern of demeaning women".<ref name="Drudge">{{Cite web|access-date=2006-10-27 |url=http://www.drudgereport.com/flashaw.htm |archive-date=October 31, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031204746/http://www.drudgereport.com/flashaw.htm |title=Allen's revenge: Exposes Underage Sex Scenes in Opponent's Novels |work=[[Drudge Report]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> Allen's campaign refused to tell a local radio news station, [[WTOP-FM]], whether it in fact had issued a news release on the matter.

In response, Jim Webb explained to ''The Washington Post'', "I actually saw this happen in a slum in Bangkok when I was there as a journalist."<ref name="WTOP">{{Cite news|url=http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=213&sid=956260|title=Jim Webb Defends Content of His Novels|publisher=WTOP-FM|date=October 27, 2006|access-date=2006-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212041/http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=213&sid=956260|archive-date=September 26, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> According to an article on Raw Story, the conservative website ''[[CNS News]]'' cited a case in Nevada in which a Cambodian mother was arrested for a similar act. According to the CNS article, an office manager for the Cambodian Association of America confirmed it is a cultural norm in Thailand and Cambodia.<ref name="RAWSTORTY">{{cite web|url=http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Senator_Allen_releases_graphic_excerpts_from_1027.html|title=Senator Allen releases graphic excerpts from Dem challenger's novel|website=[[Raw Story]]|date=October 27, 2006|access-date=2016-01-01|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071042/http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Senator_Allen_releases_graphic_excerpts_from_1027.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On November 9, 2006, after AP and [[Reuters]] projected that Webb had won the seat, Allen conceded the election. Although the margin was narrow – less than half of 1% of the total vote and therefore small enough under Virginia law to allow demanding a recount – Allen stated that he would not challenge the result.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/us/politics/10elect.html|title=Democrats Gain Senate and New Influence|last=Broder|first=John|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 10, 2006|access-date=October 1, 2020}}</ref>

===Senator-elect===
On November 15, 2006, Senate majority-leader-in-waiting [[Harry Reid]] assigned Webb to three committees: the committees on [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Foreign Relations]], [[United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs|Veterans' Affairs]], and [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Armed Services]].<ref name="Maze2006">{{Cite news|url=http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2358029.php|last=Maze|first=Rick|date=November 15, 2006|title=Webb to serve on key Iraq-related Senate panels|work=Air Force Times}}</ref>

"That same day, an op-ed authored by Webb appeared in the pages of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''. Titled 'Class Struggle: American workers have a chance to be heard'. The piece addressed the harmful economic inequality in the U.S., with the elites on one side and American workers on the other side. The article cites the "age of globalization and outsourcing, and with a vast underground labor pool from illegal immigration", as well as extravagant executive compensation, the detrimental effects of free trade and globalization, iniquitous tax cuts, speedily rising health care costs, and stagnation in income as the reasons for the increasing disparity between the elites and American workers.<ref name="Webb2006ojwsj">{{Cite news|url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009246|title=Class Struggle: American workers have a chance to be heard|last=Webb|first=Jim|date=November 15, 2006|work= The Wall Street Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106023536/http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009246|archive-date=January 6, 2010}}</ref>

====Exchange with President George W. Bush====
On November 28, 2006, at a White House reception for those newly elected to Congress, Webb did not choose to wait in the line to have his picture taken with the president,<ref>Webb, in an interview on [[The Brian Lehrer Show]], WNYC, May 21, 2014</ref> whom Webb often criticized during the campaign. The president approached Webb later and asked him, "How's your boy?", referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq. Webb replied "I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President." Bush responded, "That's not what I asked you. How's your boy?", Webb responded, "That's between me and my boy, Mr. President." ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' cited an anonymous source who claimed that Webb was so angered by the exchange that he confessed he was tempted to "slug" the president.<ref name="Heil2006">{{Cite news|url=http://hill6.thehill.com/under-the-dome/son-also-rises-in-testy-webb-bush-exchange-2006-11-29.html|title=Son also rises in testy Webb-Bush exchange|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|first=Emily|last=Heil|date=November 29, 2006|access-date=2006-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218102937/http://hill6.thehill.com/under-the-dome/son-also-rises-in-testy-webb-bush-exchange-2006-11-29.html|archive-date=December 18, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Webb later remarked in an interview, "I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall."<ref name="Shear20061129">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801582.html|title=In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Michael D.|last=Shear|date=November 29, 2006|access-date=2006-12-02}}</ref>

In response to the incident, some conservatives criticized Webb, including [[George Will]], who called Webb a "boor" and wrote, "[Webb] already has become what Washington did not need another of, a subtraction from the city's civility and clear speaking."<ref name="Will20061130">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112901267.html|title=Already Too Busy for Civility|first=George F.|last=Will|author-link=George Will|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 30, 2006|access-date=2006-12-06}}</ref><ref name="washpost-passions">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120101205.html|title=Remark By Webb Arouses Passions|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Michael D.|last=Shear|date=December 2, 2006|access-date=2006-12-05}}</ref> Others, such as conservative columnist and former Reagan speechwriter [[Peggy Noonan]], reserved their criticism for Bush, writing: "I thought it had the sound of the rattling little aggressions of our day, but not on Mr. Webb's side."<ref name="Noonan2006">{{Cite news|url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110009321|title=Grace Under Pressure|work=The Wall Street Journal|first=Peggy|last=Noonan|author-link=Peggy Noonan|date=December 2, 2006}} (subscription required)</ref>
[[File:Jim Webb with son Jimmy and George W. Bush 2008.jpg|thumb|right |Jim Webb with son Jimmy and George W. Bush in March, 2008]]

Webb was asked about the exchange in a January 4, 2007 appearance on ''[[Hardball with Chris Matthews]]''. He told [[Chris Matthews|Matthews]]:

{{blockquote|My feeling about that – first of all, it's been kind of a bit overblown. But I think when people are now seeing how [[John McCain]] is handling the situation with his son being in the [[USMC|Marine Corps]], perhaps they can understand a little bit more what I was having to go through during the entire campaign. I greatly respect my son's service and all of the people who are serving. At the same time, I have not commented, even to many of my friends, about the operational side. That's personal to me in terms of my feelings about it. And it was not a casual comment. As I said in the piece that you just ran, I think the best article that was written on that was by Peggy Noonan in ''The Wall Street Journal'' when she basically said that the lack of civility was not mine and I feel that way.<ref name=Matthews20070104>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16485135|title='Hardball with Chris Matthews' for January 4 – Guests: Jim Webb, Hilary Rosen, Susan Molinari, Trent Lott, Chaka Fattah, A.B. Stoddard, Chris Cillizza|date=January 5, 2007 |publisher=NBC News|access-date=2007-01-05}}</ref>}}

After his son returned from Iraq, Webb "buried the hatchet" with the president by setting up a private chat with his son, the president, and himself in the Oval Office.<ref name="Kumar20080321">{{Cite news|access-date=2008-05-11|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR2008032003421.html|title='Born Fighter' Settles Down To Collegial First Term – Sen. Webb Is a Surprise|last=Kumar|first=Anita|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 21, 2008|page=A01}}</ref>

===Tenure as Senator===
[[File:Jim Webb, leaning against pillar, 2007.jpg|thumb|left|Jim Webb in 2007]]
[[File:US Navy 071013-N-6512M-021 Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, a former Secretary of the Navy, delivers remarks during the Navy Day celebration held at the U.S. Navy Memorial.jpg|thumb|Senator and former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb delivers remarks during the [[Navy Day]] celebration held at the [[U.S. Navy Memorial]]]]
On January 3, 2007, Webb was sworn into the [[110th United States Congress|110th U.S. Senate]], accompanied by Sen. [[John Warner]], R-Va., a fellow former [[Secretary of the Navy]]; and former Virginia Democratic Sen. [[Chuck Robb]], who held the same seat before losing to Allen.
On his first day in the Senate, Webb introduced the [[Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008|Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act]], to expand benefits for military families, which he had written. The act replaces key provisions of the Montgomery [[G.I. Bill]] for recent veterans and "makes veterans benefits identical to those soldiers received following World War II". "With many of our military members serving two or three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is past time to enact a new veterans' education program modeled on the World War II era G.I. bill. This is exactly what our legislation does", Webb said. It became law on June 30, 2008, as part of the [[Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008]].<ref>{{cite web|title=H.R.2642 - Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/2642|website=Congress.gov|date=June 30, 2008|access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref>

In a January 4, 2007, appearance on ''[[The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer|The Situation Room]]'', Webb articulated his position on the [[Iraq War]]:

<blockquote>What we really need to do is to get into the arena where we can talk about a strategy, talk about the pluses and the minuses of the [[Iraq Study Group|Baker-Hamilton Commission]] and work toward a solution that, on the one hand, will allow us to remove our combat troops, but on the other, will increase the stability of the region, allow us to continue to fight against international terrorism and allow us, as a nation, to address our strategic interests around the world. And this is – this is one of the drawbacks that we've had with so many troops having been put into this constant rotational basis inside one country when we have a war against international terrorism that's global.<ref>{{cite web |title=Show Transcript; aired January 04, 2007 |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/sitroom/date/2007-01-04/segment/04 |website=transcripts.cnn.com |publisher=CNN.com - Transcripts |access-date=25 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>

Asked by [[Wolf Blitzer]] if he would ever support the efforts of [[Dennis Kucinich]] to cut funding for the war, Webb said,

<blockquote>I – you know, I lived through Vietnam. I lived through it as a Marine and I know that those sorts of approaches, while they seem attractive on one level are really not that realistic. What we want to do – and I was talking with a number of senators today – is to try to get some of these so-called emergency legislation packages back into the committee process so that the committees can actually play.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/04/sitroom.04.html |series= THE SITUATION ROOM|title=Momentous day On Capitol Hill; Some Things May Get Lost In Shuffle Next Week On Capitol Hill; Jim Webb Interview; House Administration Committee Investigating Contested Florida House Race|publisher=CNN|date=January 4, 2007}}</ref></blockquote>

On January 23, 2007, Webb delivered the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[Response to the State of the Union address|response]] to the president's [[2007 State of the Union Address|State of the Union address]], focusing on the economy and Iraq.<ref name="RawStory">{{Cite web|url=http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Democratic_response_to_Bush_State_of_0123.html|title=Webb's 'aggressive' Democratic response to Bush 'State of Union' speech [includes transcript of Webb's response]|work=The Raw Story|date=January 23, 2007|access-date=January 24, 2007|archive-date=September 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906091030/http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Democratic_response_to_Bush_State_of_0123.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Webb's speech drew positive reviews, and was regarded as one of the stronger State of the Union responses in recent memory.<ref name="SOTU-Response">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/01/25/BL2007012500416_4.html|title=The Long Goodbye|last=Kurtz|first=Howard|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 25, 2005|access-date=2007-05-03|author-link= Howard Kurtz}}</ref>

On March 5, 2007, Webb introduced his second piece of legislation, {{USBill|110|S|759}}, intended to prohibit the use of funds for military operations in [[Iran]] without the prior approval of Congress. In a statement on the floor of the Senate, Webb said, "The major function of this legislation is to prevent this Administration from commencing unprovoked military activities against Iran without the approval of the Congress. The legislation accomplishes this goal through the proper constitutional process of prohibiting all funding for such an endeavor."<ref name="WebbPressRelease">{{Cite press release|publisher=Senator Jim Webb|url=http://www.webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=270138|title=Senator Jim Webb Introduces Bill Prohibiting Use of Funds for Military Operations in Iran|date=2007-03-05|access-date=2007-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070425203636/http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom//record.cfm?id=270138|archive-date=April 25, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On March 26, 2007, a senatorial aide of Webb, Phillip Thompson, was arrested for carrying Webb's loaded pistol as he entered the Russell Senate Office Building and for carrying unregistered ammunition. The weapon was discovered when Thompson went through an X-ray machine with a briefcase that contained a loaded pistol and two additional loaded magazines.<ref name="AP2007">{{Cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070326/ap_on_go_co/senate_arrest|title=Webb aide arrested for gun possession|agency=Associated Press|date=March 26, 2007}}</ref> Charges against the aide were dismissed after prosecutors concluded it could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Thompson was aware that the gun and ammunition were in the briefcase.<ref name="Cauvin2007">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702138.html|access-date=2007-05-14|title=Prosecutors Drop Gun Case Against Webb Aide|last=Cauvin|first=Henri E.|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 28, 2007}}</ref> Webb responded to his aide's arrest by reiterating his support for gun-owners' rights:<blockquote>I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment; I have had a permit to carry a weapon in Virginia for a long time; I believe that it's important; it's important to me personally and to a lot of people in the situation that I'm in to be able to defend myself and my family.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17819572 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129195506/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17819572/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |title=Gun arrest gives Webb political opening: Virginia Democrat uses incident with aide to proclaim right to self-defense |first=Tom |last=Curry |publisher= NBC News |date=March 27, 2007 }}</ref></blockquote>

====2009 visit to Southeast Asia====
[[File:Jim Webb with Aung San Suu Kyi.jpg|thumb|Jim Webb with [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]]]
{{See also|Burma – United States relations}}
On August 14, 2009, Webb visited [[Myanmar]] (Burma), seeing its junta's leader, Gen. [[Than Shwe]], and also the pro-democracy leader [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], who was under house arrest. During Webb's visit with Than Shwe, Webb negotiated the release and deportation of an imprisoned American, [[John Yettaw]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sullivan |first1=Michael |title=Senator Wins Release Of U.S. Prisoner In Myanmar |url=https://www.npr.org/2009/08/15/111917927/senator-wins-release-of-u-s-prisoner-in-myanmar |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=NPR |date=15 August 2009 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Seth Mydans |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/world/asia/17myanmar.html |title=American Held in Myanmar Is Released |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 16, 2009 |page=A4}}</ref> Upon his return to the U.S., Webb wrote an editorial titled "We Can't Afford to Ignore Myanmar" for ''[[The New York Times]]'', arguing for the easing of sanctions on the country. Webb stated that sanctions have isolated the country, thereby encouraging the ruling regime to turn to China and allowing "China to dramatically increase its economic and political influence in Myanmar, furthering a dangerous strategic imbalance in the region." Webb also noted that, unlike Myanmar, China does not allow opposition parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/opinion/26webb.html|title=We Can't Afford to Ignore Myanmar|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 25, 2009|author=Webb, Jim}}</ref> Webb has stated that he started the pivot to Asia during the Bush Administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/jim-webb-critiques-clinton-era-foreign-policy-116796.html|title=Jim Webb critiques Clinton-era foreign policy|work=[[Politico]]|date=April 8, 2015|author=Schreckinger, Ben}}</ref>

Webb visited [[Vietnam]] as part of a two-week trip to five Southeast Asian countries. Webb, who can speak Vietnamese, has had a continuous involvement in Asian and Pacific affairs that long predates his time in the Senate. In addition to his more recent visits as a member of the [[Senate Foreign Relations Committee]], Webb has worked and traveled throughout this vast region, from [[Micronesia]] to Burma, for nearly four decades, as a Marine Corps officer, a defense planner, a journalist, a novelist, a Department of Defense executive, and as a business consultant. He worked in the 1990s as a consultant for companies attempting to do business in Vietnam.<ref name="vietnam">{{cite news|title=TNS Jim Webb thăm Việt Nam|year=2009|work=BBC News |language=vi}}</ref>

====Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009====
[[File:Defense Secretary and Senators Ben Nelson and Jim Webb prior to a hearing before the ASC on the START treaty.jpg|thumb|left|Defense Secretary [[Robert M. Gates]] and Senators [[Ben Nelson]] and Jim Webb prior to a hearing]]
On March 26, 2009, Webb filed the [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.714: Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205171613/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.714: |date=February 5, 2016 }} (SB 714), which would create a blue ribbon commission to reevaluate the criminal justice system and drug policy and make recommendations for reform.<ref>{{cite news | last = Smith | first=Jordan|date=March 27, 2009|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2009-03-27/759715|title=Time to Fix Criminal Justice System: Sen. Jim Webb says broken system must be fixed|newspaper=The Austin Chronicle | access-date = December 5, 2009}}</ref> Noting that the United States houses 25% of the world's inmates despite having only 5% of the world's population, Webb proposed a comparison between U.S. incarceration policies and those of other developed nations.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Webb|first=Jim|date=March 29, 2009|url=http://parade.com/104227/senatorjimwebb/why-we-must-fix-our-prisons|title=Why We Must Fix Our Prisons|magazine=Parade|access-date = December 5, 2009}}</ref> At a [[United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs]] hearing, Webb described the [[criminal justice]] system as being in "... a profound, deeply corrosive crisis that we have largely been ignoring at our peril." He also criticized the lack of standards in prison administration and highlighted the justice system's negative impact on communities. The subcommittee chairman, Sen. [[Arlen Specter]] (D-PA), expressed support for the bill at the hearing and indicated his intent to move the bill to the full [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary]].<ref>{{YouTube|TSjrcFn_SBI|Highlights of Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Sen. Webbs Criminal Justice Bill}}.</ref> By the end of June 2010, the bill had 39 cosponsors.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.00714: | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120714142847/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.00714: | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 14, 2012 | work = Bill Summary & Status, 111th Congress (2009 - 2010) | title = S.714: National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2010 | access-date = February 27, 2015 }}</ref>

In the fall of 2009, an amendment to SB 714 was proposed by Sen. [[Charles Grassley]] (R-IA) that would have prohibited the commission created by the bill from discussing or recommending the decriminalization or legalization of any substance prohibited under the [[Controlled Substances Act]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Crippes|first=Christina|date=November 9, 2009|url=http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/grassley-110909|title=Grassley proposing limits to federal drug study|newspaper=TheHawkEye|access-date=December 5, 2009}}</ref> The proposed amendment drew criticism from some in the online community. Grassley later rescinded the amendment and claimed in a ''[[Des Moines Register]]'' op-ed that he had proposed it to "start a debate on this important issue".<ref>{{citation|last=Grassley|first=Charles|date=November 21, 2009|url=http://m.desmoinesregister.com/detail.jsp?key=560211&rc=op&full=1|title=Guest column: Congress should debate drug policy|work=The Des Moines Register|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100102041517/http://m.desmoinesregister.com/detail.jsp?key=560211&rc=op&full=1|archive-date=January 2, 2010}}</ref> SB 714 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a voice vote on January 21, 2010.[https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/714/all-actions?r=56&overview=closed&s=1#tabs] but no further action was ever taken.

====Retirement from the U.S. Senate====
On February 9, 2011, Webb announced that he would not run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/259372/predicted-jim-webb-wont-run-reelection-2012|title=As Predicted, Jim Webb Won't Run for Reelection in 2012|first=Jim|last=Geraghty|date=February 9, 2011|magazine=National Review|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020060033/http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/259372/predicted-jim-webb-wont-run-reelection-2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Source_Webb_wont_seek_reelection.html|title=Webb won't seek reelection|first=Ben|last=Smith|work=[[Politico]]|date=February 9, 2011 }}</ref>

===Committee assignments===
[[File:US Navy 070927-N-3642E-140 Sen. James Webb, D-Va., questions Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, after his testimony before the Committee on Armed Services during his confirmation hearing for appointment.jpg|thumb|Senator Webb questions in the Committee on Armed Services]]
*[[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]]
**[[United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland|Subcommittee on Airland]]
**[[United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel|Subcommittee on Personnel]] (Chairman)
**[[United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on SeaPower|Subcommittee on SeaPower]]
*[[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Committee on Foreign Relations]]
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs|Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs]]
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs|Subcommittee on African Affairs]]
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs|Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs]] (Chairman)
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs|Subcommittee on European Affairs]]
*[[United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs|Committee on Veterans' Affairs]]
*[[Joint Economic Committee]]