A reader writes:
I just listened to Webb's Fresh Air interview--thanks for the link. If Obama does not pick Webb for VP, he's not half as smart as I think he is.
Besides all his personal qualifications, besides all the obvious political benefits, Webb could do something for Obama that only he could do, and that would fit perfectly with Obama's larger goals--indeed, complete them: he could bind up the internal wounds that have plagued the Democratic Party since the anti-war days of the 60's and 70's, and through that healing, begin to heal the larger American body politic--that great Boomer schism you have talked about at length. Who else could serve that function? Not Edwards, not Strickland, good as they might be in other ways. Internally, Webb's experience as a citizen soldier, coupled with his early and adamant opposition to the Iraq war, could bring the two sides of the Democratic Party together; externally, Webb is the only one with the experience and the personality to take on McCain and the neo-cons. This interview--and what I've learned about Webb recently--have sold me on the guy. He's as smart as they come, he's got the creds, and he's a thoughtful, progressive force.