The Vice Presidential selection team needs quite a bit of breathing space. It needs to be balanced fair and discreet. With Webb all over the TV Tube and book touring, etc. .... it has sucked the oxygen out of the process.

For all my fine Webb-head friends ..... remember a few things like "I think Jim has decided not to run" - Senator Bob Kerrey. It put RK into a TAILSPIN.

Then there was election night when I saw the two most passionate dedicated Draft James Webb kids .... just about melt down over Webb's impending loss.
By the time I drove home Jim Webb had won!!!

So I won't buy this line until the Vice Presidential pick is announced. Then I'll believe that Jim Webb is "out".  On the other hand his great friend and Medal of Honor winner Bob Kerrey is available for the job and would be a great choice for the VP slot.

The world turns and the plot thickens.

Actually, I think Eric Cantor has almost as good a shot ending up as McCain's runningmate as Kaine does with Obama.

The election is now probably going to be closer than it would have been if the ticket had been Obama/Webb.   Missouri is going to be much harder to turn blue.  Indiana is on the knife edge.  North Carolina is probably out -- and Alaska.  

"General Clark appeared on face the nation on his own. Nothing was coordinated with the Obama campaign. Clearly from the Obama spokespeople it is clear they disagree and disavow General Clark's remarks. You guys know I don't post often but I wanted to say that. I think their campaign has made it clear he has no role."

http://marcambinder.theatlanti...

Last week, members of the team gave Sen. James Webb of VA a list of what they needed to begin their investigation of his background and career. Webb refused, telling them that he did not want to be considered for the position.

In a statement today, Webb disclosed that he had "communicated to Senator Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate, where I believe I am best equipped to serve the people of Virginia and this country. Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for Vice President."

A Democrat close to Webb confirms that a request for documents preceded his declaration to the Obama campaign. The Democrat said that Webb did not want to relive the vigors of a campaign so soon after his election to the Senate.

Webb's statement suggests that Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder, the two leaders of the team, had received instructions from Sen. Obama to vet a number of finalists, including Webb.

Sorry, Lowell, I knew you really wanted Webb as VP.  But it is also true that his Senate seat was hard fought over, and we can't afford to lose it.  So maybe it is for the best.

With Webb and, previously, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland removing themselves from consideration, and Clark almost now assuredly out of contention for the #2 slot, the odds shift mighty heavily in Sebelius' favor imo.

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and John Edwards are the other two candidates I'd imagine are still getting a lot of attention, and maybe Joe Biden or Chris Dodd or Bill Richardson.

But Sebelius makes the most sense in strengthening Obama's core brand and appeal, and would really double down on how historic an election this is going to be.

Me, I'm happy Senator Webb will stay in the Senate. Aside from  being a major disappointment on the FISA issues (which will likely end in the final insult tomorrow), he's lived up to his promises from on the campaign trail. That's unusual in politics these days.

So ... how about Angelina Jolie.

Or Elizabeth Kucinich.  Wait, she's British.

Okay.  Dara Torres.

Yeah, I'm being silly.  But this is getting absurd.

Besides, isn't the ticket groundbreaking enough already?  

While I believe that Senator Jim Webb would have made a great Vice President, it is good news for Virginia that he will continue to represent the Commonwealth in the U.S. Senate.  In a very short period of time, Jim has made us proud to call him our Senator.  His service to Virginia and to the country has been invaluable, and he and Mark Warner are going to make a great team after this November's election.

And... we really need Gov. Kaine to stay right where he is.  

It's not that I think he would have made a bad VP.  It's just that second banana status in the Executive branch where he would have at best only peripheral influence upon legislation would have been a bad move.  We need his leadership in the Senate.  

A part of me believes that Senator Webb is perfect for the VP Slot.  I have no doubt that his presence and credentials would have made the ticket that much stronger.

Conversely, Senator Webb is so very effective in the Senate.  When you combine Webb with Mark Warner next year, Virginia will have marvelous representation.  I really like the idea of having two Democratic Senators...

Strategically, I believe as a Virginia Democrat, Kaine is the best choice for VP.  While Kaine moves up to the White House, Bolling becomes Governor (Ugh, for a few months), but after a taste of the Governor's mansion Bolling will not hand it over to McDonnell without a fight.  In this scenario, we would have McDonnell and Bolling in a battle for the Republican nomination next year...As the Democrats are going through the same.  Rather than McDonnell fundraising and stock piling cash while, Deeds & Moran are seeking the Democratic nod.  

John Edwards would be a Fabulous VP too, but I am an Edwards fan.

As for handicapping some of the others.  I still doubt it will be Tim Kaine.  He brings Virginia - maybe.  That's it.  I also am not excited about Kathleen Sebelius.  She's very capable.  But she brings Kansas. That's it.

Unfortunately, I've heard that a lot of Hillary Clinton supporters would actually consider her a slap in the face to Hillary. They reason that it would undercut Clinton's historical accomplishment as the first woman to achieve what she did as a presidential candidate. I don't agree at all with that logic, but right now, we don't need to be pissing off any of the Woman vote.  We will have to fight hard enough to get back the working class vote in Appalachia so we need all the friends we can get.

The other negative Sebelius brings is she's having trouble with her own bishop in Kansas, who wants to deny her the Eucharist.  It's terribly unfair (and the major reason I left the Catholic Church) but we don't need public wafer wars like John Kerry had.  Again, we need the Catholic vote, which is often the same as the working class vote in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio.  We don't need grandstanding conservative bishops to pick public fights with our candidates.

Unfortunately, Gen. Clark is probably too controversial now, thanks to a lazy media, who went along with the GOP misrepresentation of his remarks about McCain.

On a more positive note, here are some of the people I like for the spot:

I like John Edwards because of his inroads with labor and his ability to reach working class men.  Also, Bill Richards, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd are all good choices.  Obama has the charisma.  What he needs is somebody who can reach out to those Appalachian and working class voters or somebody with strong foreign relations and national security credentials.

Neither Tim Kaine nor Kathleen Sebelius have those by the way.  I just don't think they bring much more than one state each.

I also agree with your comments on Kathleen Sebelius.  I really don't see what she brings, and I think you are right about the Hillary Clinton supporters considering it the ultimate insult.  I would venture to guess that many die-hard Hillary supporters don't know who she is, which probably makes matters worse, given the strong support they have shown for Clinton.  

Biden has the right experience.    

Also, I agree that Clinton supporters would have a hard time with this for the reasons you mention. Also, Obama doesn't need a splashy choice to make history or attract attention -- his candidacy is already historical.

I think the candidates this most clears the way for is Rendell or Bayh. That area of Indiana and the contiguous parts of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania are key to Obama, as you point out. But I don't think Dodd or Biden get them. As for Richardson, I think that would be a real slap at the Clintons -- why do that?

Webb offered the best of both worlds - a connection to the voters in Appalachia plus a strong military background. Obama really needs to reach out to these voters to tie up the election, and Rendell or Bayh are now his best bets.  

Bayh is beige.

Plus, he also backed Hillary Clinton, which could give off a good feeling for party unity.

Bayh is a bit bland, I'll give you that.  But I think Obama is charasmatic enough on his own; "energy" has never been one of his campaign's weakspots.  

If Webb doesn't want it, Bayh is my second choice.  He can pull Indiana, and his success with Rust-belt voters would surely be an advantage in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  And his success amongst conservatives might help Obama in purpilish-red states like Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, and other places.

But I started liking her long before she started getting bandied about on the various political blogs after seeing her on C-SPAN a few times in various settings. She's a warm, natural speaker that oozes intelligence, has charm to spare, doesn't beat around the bush when she has a point to make, but does so with humor and in a non-confrontational style. Her endorsement of Obama in Dorado, KS, was a decent example of her speaking style.

I don't even think Sebelius necessarily brings Kansas into the fold -- in fact, probably she doesn't. But it makes Kansas interesting, and may help next door in Missouri (especially in the Kansas City area). She also has family roots in Ohio (her father was the Governor there), which could also be important.

As for Sebelius versus Edwards, and the comparison between the two when it comes to labor and working-class whites or Appalachia ... 1) Sebelius is unambiguously pro-labor, and is one of a number of Democratic governors that has come out strongly for passing the Employee Free Choice Act/card check legislation; 2) As for working-class whites, Kansas is overwhelmingly white (>90%). Check out the cross-tabs of this poll from 2006 right before her re-election contest [ here], which almost exactly nailed the final margin (which was actually 58-41). Sebelius won the white vote in Kansas 57-40, approximately the same margin by which she won the overall election; she carried those making less than 40k, 65-31, and those making 40k-80k, 60-37. So, she was obviously able to appeal to working class whites in Kansas.

Can she do so in a national contest? That's the question. I think, yes. As for supporters of Clinton that claim that they won't vote for Obama (or WILL vote for McCain) if Obama chooses another woman for President besides Hillary, well, I say that's unfortunate, but the potential gains in votes from independent and moderate Republican women (like those Sebelius carried in large numbers in Kansas, where she won by 61-36 among all women) across the nation would be far greater than this vocal minority of Clinton supporters. I have spoken to a number of less politically engaged women (including my sister) that, even though they supported and voted for Clinton, still love the idea of another woman on the ticket, and especially Sebelius when her positions are considered.

She is pro-choice, anti-death penalty, strong on environmental issues (vetoing legislation for additional coal power plants in Kansas!), pro-labor (as discussed), opposed a Kansas anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment (which passed anyway), and, as Kansas insurance commissioner, took on the health insurance lobby. Aside from her decided lack of foreign policy experience, she looks like the real deal to me, someone that would appeal to strong progressives as well as appeal to moderate Republicans and independents, especially among women.

Despite it dropping down to number 3 or wherever it now is on the list of the public's concerns, Iraq is the black hole that's sucking up all the resources and energy we should be applying to all our other problems.

Given his zero experience with things military, Obama is going to need a point man of unimpeachable patriotic credentials to get us out of Iraq.  With Webb stepping back, that leaves Clark.

Dealing with the concerns of the military and the generals is going to require a lot of finesse; absent Jim Webb, it's hard to imagine Sebelius, Richardson, Biden or Dodd bringing anything to that particular table.

The recent tempest in a teapot over Clark's observation about McCain's hagiography is not a reason not to pick him.  Quite the opposite.  Picking Clark as the VP running mate would turn the media spotlight back on McCain's curious claim that spending five years as a prisoner-of-war of the North Vietnamese nearly forty years ago automatically qualifies him as some kind of military expert on fighting a 21st century asymmetrical war against Islamic fundamentalists.

Clark's comments were not an "attack." They were, first, a specific response to a specific question (it was Bob Schieffer who suggested that "getting shot down" did qualify McCain for the presidency. Clark merely repeated his phrasing in formulating his answer.

Second, the point is a perfectly legitimate one to raise.

It was not an "attack."

Also, what people found off-putting about Clark's comments were due the media distortion of those comments. There was nothing offensive or off-putting about what he actually said.

That all said, I agree with you that this is not a productive avenue on which to attack McCain, but only because the national press corps is incapable or unwilling to treat arguments like this in a reasonable manner.

You just kinda knew that the first criticism of McCain's time in the military would be, no matter how valid a point, called "swiftboating."  

I don't agree with this, nor approve of it, or even feel that McCain deserves it, it's just fascinating that it's folks on the right who have an obsessive hatred of John McCain.

What General Clark pointed out has nothing to do with swiftboating McCain.  It was a reasonable comment to make that McCain's military experience does not necessarily qualify him, as he is claiming, to be commander-in-chief.  

That said, given the sound bite superficiality that is the arena of contemporary American political campaigns, Obama vs. McCain can be viewed as a battle of hagiographies.

And it's not the Democrats, but the McCain haters on the right that are the biggest threat to McCain's carefully constructed public persona.

As noted in an earlier post, the McCain campaign's overreaction to Clark's comments might suggest they are hypersensitive to anyone turning down the road to revisiting what exactly happened at the Hanoi Hilton so many years ago.

http://www.vietnamveteransagai...

I'll bet you my life's savings that it will NOT be Obama-Clark.  And personally, I think that after Clark's remarks, that's a good thing.  Regardless of what you think, most people thought agreed that the comments were inappropriate.  In elections, perception IS reality.

For better or worse, we're at war.

Whatever Obama does, in terms of getting unstuck from the quicksands of Iraq, dealing with the deteriorating situation in the Hindu Kush and confronting the terminal financial cancer that is the military industrial complex, he is going to be attacked as a pollyanaesque, kumbaya singing, chardonnay sipper.

Without getting into a discussion of whether all truth is subjective, I prefer to use the term accurate. It is simply inaccurate to call Clark's comments an "attack," and the media's reporting on this matter was a distortion of reality.

Thanks!

Steve

http://www.politico.com/news/s...

Most political insiders, and Clark himself, seem to be getting the hint that Obama dropped during his Patriotism speech.

""It's up to Sen. Obama now to not only repudiate him but to cut him loose," McCain told reporters aboard his plane en route to Colombia.

Obama, however, has not gone that far. He said Monday it was "very clear" Clark's "remarks don't reflect my beliefs." He took a less tough approach Tuesday, calling the remarks "inartful," a word the candidate has often employed to step back from gaffes. His reluctance to go further may stem in part from Clark's support on the party's left, which dates back to his 2004 presidential run. MoveOn launched a petition Tuesday demanding the media "stop distorting Gen. Clark's words.""

Also, in defense of Obama:
"Devine added that "Obama is handling this perfectly" by distancing himself from Clark's comments but warned that "to cut Clark loose [would be] ridiculous.""

Clark is a darling of the leftist blogosphere.  Now I never hopped on board the Wes Clark train, and was never that impressed by him as a candidate.  I feel I'm much better at looking at this without the "rose colored" glasses.  I was always concerned about Webb's remarks on women in this race, and I think Clark's recent comments have legitimately taken him out of contention.  I'm not suggesting to cut Clark loose: i'm suggesting that embracing him as VP would be unwise, and is highly unlikely.

And what is wrong with bias?  Does it mean that it is impossible for a Republican to make a good point?  I personally don't think so.  Republicans often make good points.  

But this isn't an opinion piece.  The only real opinion they took was from Kerry's 2004 Campaign Manager, a loyal lefty.  The remarks from leaders of both parties have been that Clark's remarks were at best not helpful.

If it is verboten for a retired four star general, commander of allied forces and former presidential candidate cannot say that, in his professional opinion, being a junior officer carrier pilot and then a prisoner-of-war does not ipso facto qualify you to be commander-in-chief, well, what can anybody say about anything?

What does this say about what we've learned since the 2004 elections?  Nothing.

I hope and pray Obama chooses Clark.  Once again, he'll show the Repugs he's above it all.

I'm not trying to piss anybody off here.  Just saying that if I were a betting man, I'd let it all ride on Clark not being VP.

My main focus is on winning in November, and I don't really have a concern about the various possible VP candidates as long as that result is realized.

Thanks!

Steve  

I'm not exactly suggesting that he was in collusion with the Obama people, but isn't it possible that we are seeing the start of the McCain meme? Think about it: Clark gets the message out. "McCain may be a war hero, but that doesn't make him CiC material, that doesn't mean he knows how to run a war." Everybody reacts with horror! Everybody is scandalized! The right wing misconstrues what Clark says and hammers him at every opportunity. Obama steps away from Clark's remarks, but so what? They are still out there. They were still uttered by a 4 star general, former Supreme Allied Commander, and a loyal democrat.

Do you think we are not going to hear more about this? It all fits in neatly with the "McCain's out of touch." Now add "and that includes his military experience of 40 years ago." Go for the guy's strength and turn it into a weakness, and if you can't do that, neutralize it. And the next time this particular balloon gets floated, the shock won't be as great, the outrage not as virulent, until pretty soon it gets accepted as fact. "McCain is a war hero, but that doesn't help us with the current war."

Clark is the sacrificial lamb, which means, I guess, that he knew he wasn't going to be considered for VP. But is there another job in the administration for him?
   

also, she is Catholic

I believe he made that clear to her, which is why so much of the speculation about her as a running mate has died down.

I guess Richardson could be good. Brings foreign policy experience.

This whole thing just breaks my heart.

The Democratic Party of Virginia commends Senator Webb for his service to the Commonwealth and to our nation.

In just 18 months, Senator Webb has already made historic progress in the U.S. Senate with the passage of the 21st Century GI Bill. Thanks to Senator Webb working across party lines, thousands of veterans in Virginia and across America will finally get the educational future they deserve.

As Virginians, we're lucky to have Senator Webb continue to represent us in the U.S. Senate. We look forward to working with him to continue to deliver results for Virginia families.

Also, it appears that McCain gets more help from a VP choice than Obama does, which I found odd when looking at the Survey USA results.

If McCain chooses a woman, I think Obama has to counter with one, but that's just a non-expert's opinion.  

And, hey -- we're all non-experts here! (Or, more correctly, our guess is just as good as anyone else's, excepting Obama's.)

Ironcially, if McCain picked an unqualified woman, it would look like desperation.  I think both candidates will try to find somebody who most makes up for whatever areas of weakness they have.

I deeply respect Senator Webb's decision to withdraw his name from consideration for the Vice-Presidential nomination. While Jim Webb would be a great asset on the national ticket, the people of Virginia should be excited that he will continue to put them first. His work on the GI Bill alone demonstrates his dedication and effectiveness representing the people of our Commonwealth. It's clear we have many great things to look forward to with Jim Webb in the Senate.

Jim Webb's style of honest leadership is the kind of straight talk America needs. While it may be disappointing that he won't be running for Vice President, Virginians can look forward to many years of his service in the Senate.

But I am glad to continue to have Webb as my senator and I think that Obama still has some excellent VP choices.  

And folks -- we are going to win this one.  A good VP will be, I believe, just the icing on the cake.

The level of trust and chemistry Kaine has with Obama is unprecedented. I have video taped them both on multiple occasions since 2006. Study their appearances yourself -- there is a palpable and unique synergy there. Notice it in their body language, voices, and the audience response.

Not to mention...Kaine can bring the Catholics, hispano hablantes, some redneck males like me, and, yes, Kaine can carry Virginia. Besides, Kaine is so squeaky clean that those vetters will be sitting around like Maytag repairmen waiting for the phone to ring.

Handing over the keys to the governor's office will hurt, but it will be for the best for the country. Moreover, getting the governorship in this fashion will be the mother of all Pyrrhic victories for the Grand Oil Party since having Tim on the ticket will supercharge Dems from Raleigh to Baltimore.

One more thing: Tim cannot possibly ask Virginia Dems for our permission to walk away from the office we all worked so hard to put him in should he get the call. It is up to us and only us to speak up, give him our blessing and express our hope that, with our support, the choice to join Obama's ticket will ultimately be better not just for the country at large, but for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

It appears there might be more to this story.

Also, and allow me some cynicism here, all that VP speculation surely didn't hurt sales of his new book.  Everyone has to earn a living.

And, part deux, does his statement yesterday also absolutely utterly totally preclude Jim Webb as Secretary of Defense?