Senator-elect Jim Webb; a Maverick? Some think so.

James Webb, shown arriving in Alexandria for an election-eve rally, "will be a much better and happier senator than senatorial candidate," said former Virginia lieutenant governor Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D). "I don't think he is a natural candidate, but he is very bright, strong-principled and apparently fearless." (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

Well first of all, what is a maverick, pholks?

mav-er-ick - [mav-er-ik, mav-rik]
–noun
1. Southwestern U.S.. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
3. (initial capital letter) an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 mi. (24 km).
[Origin: 1865–70, American; after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded]

—Synonyms 2. nonconformist, independent, loner.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Sooooooooooooo...I think it's pretty clear what Jim Webb ISN'T, based on those 3 definitions. But I have to say that the thought of Senator-elect Jim Webb as either a little baby calf or a kick ass in your face missile are both pretty amusing.

All in all, it's a pretty good article from Sunday's WaPo, and I think it's safe to say that we have a very interesting 6 years ahead of us.

Cheers.