Jim Webb Pushes Back on Behalf of Confederate Flag Supporters

The possible Democratic presidential candidate concedes that the flag has been used for racist purposes but says it serves as a reminder that not all southerners were slaveowners, while some Union fighters were.

Jim Webb, former senator from Virginia, speaks at the George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Webb, a possible 2016 U.S. democratic presidential candidate, said the U.S. needs a "clearly articulated foreign policy statement" during his speech.
Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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By Arit John

June 24, 2015 at 7:18 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Former Virginia Senator and Vietnam war veteran Jim Webb has finally weighed in on the national debate over the Confederate flag—kind of.

Days after every major official and declared presidential candidate announced their stance on the flag, Webb released a statement on Facebook stating that while the flag has been used for "racist and other purposes" that not all Confederates were bad, and not all members of the Union were good.