What We'd Like To See From Jim Webb

With just two weeks to go until the election, we're a bit disappointed with Jim Webb's television ads.

Yes, he has some good, hard-hitting spots either highlighting Allen's many weaknesses or responding to Allen's attacks on Webb. But where's the key ad that tells Virginians who Jim Webb really is?

Many Virginians don't know Jim. He's never run for public office before, and only a fraction of voters will ever see/meet him in person.

Polls show that many Virginians in the middle are uneasy with George Allen, but they're unsure of Jim Webb. We think that if they got to know Jim better, they'd find voting FOR him (as opposed to against Allen) a satisfying option.

So here's what we'd like to see: an ad with just Jim (ok, maybe with a couple of his combat veteran supporters thrown in) speaking candidly to Virginians about (1) himself, and (2) why he got into the race (mainly Iraq). Don't even mention Allen.

We know that Jim doesn't like to talk about himself that much, but he needs to. He should stress his southwest Virginia roots, his military background, why he's wearing combat boots throughout the campaign, the fact that his son Jimmy is fighting in Iraq now, the fact that before the war he wrote about why invading Iraq was a bad idea, about his revulsion at how our leaders have bungled the war, and then about a couple economic issues: minimum wage and tax fairness.

You can throw in a montage of Jim at various campaign stops, but keep it mostly on Jim, speaking to the camera.

The race is close. Enough voters are ready to abandon George Allen, but they need assurance that Jim is a solid alternative. Give it to them, Jim--sell you!