Which Democrat Does Senator Webb Help the Most?

1) General Wesley Clark was the first of the 2008 Democratic Presidential contenders to endorse Jim Webb.  On March 28, Clark strongly threw his support behind Webb, praising Webb as someone who would "take his fight to the floor of the U.S. Senate...won't back down from any challenge and... will focus on the job he is elected to do."  Seems to me like this endorsement puts Wesley Clark at the top of the list of 2008 Democratic contenders who will benefit from a Senator Webb.

2) However...close behind COULD be former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, IF Warner strongly - and quickly - throws his support behind Jim Webb.  If Mark Warner becomes the second 2008 contender to endorse Webb, after Wesley Clark, it would be a huge deal because most people understand that Warner was constrained by his earlier support for Harris Miller, when Jim Webb wasn't in the race yet. 

Now, imagine the combination of Jim Webb and Mark Warner barnstorming Virginia in 2008?  You think that the Commonwealth would turn "blue" in the 2008 Presidential election or what, if Mark Warner were the nominee and, let's say, Wesley Clark were the running mate with Sen. Webb taking his Locust Mountain Boys on the road with him?  Sounds like a plan to me!
3) John Edwards (D-NC) would gain a great deal, it seems to me, by linking himself with Jim Webb.  Like Webb, Edwards is a Southerner with a strong populist streak ("two Americas").  He also hails from a neighboring state.  Obviously, Mark Warner is a major rival of Edwards in 2008, as is Wes Clark.  Recall that in 2004, Clark and Edwards battled for second place, with Edwards coming out ahead of Clark in Virginia.  Now, imagine if someone like Jim Webb were helping him here.  Given that Virginia is Mark Warner's home turf, John Edwards could use any help he could get here.  Certainly, a friendly Senator Jim Webb couldn't hurt matters for Edwards.

4) John Kerry, who easily won the Virginia primary in 2004, is an interesting case.  Although many Democrats appear ready to move onto a different candidate for 2008, Kerry looks like he isn't slowing down.  As many people know, Jim Webb and John Kerry have a bit of a history, with Webb saying recently, "I wouldn't shake John Kerry's hand for 20 years [because of Kerry's anti-Vietnam activities, but] "I voted for him" in 2004.  Would a John Kerry endorsement of Jim Webb help Kerry by linking him to an unquestioned war hero of the first order?  Or, would it remind people of the disgraceful "Swift Boat" attacks on John Kerry in 2004?  Seems to me that a Sen. Webb-Sen. Kerry alliance could help both men, but time will tell...

5) How about the 800-pound gorilla in the room, Hillary Clinton?  To me, this is possibly the most intriguing, yet potentially risky, one of all.  Right now, of course, Hillary leads all other Democratic contenders in just about every area - money, connections, name recognition.  The problem is, she is also perceived by many as a "liberal" and as a polarizing figure who can't win in the South.  Would an alliance with someone like Senator Jim "Born Fighting" Webb help Hillary Clinton overcome that?  Also, would a Hillary Clinton endorsement of Jim Webb sometime soon be a way of outflanking Mark Warner and playing on his home turf?  The Machiavellian gears are really churning at this point, but you never know in politics.

6) How about Russ Feingold, a maverick, straight-talking, Washington outsider whose most famous issue is getting big money out of politics?  And Jim Webb, a maverick, straight-talking, Washington outsider, who despises the pernicious influence of money in politics more than anyone?  This could be a very fruitful alliance, it seems to me, with each helping the other spread their reform message across the country.  In recent weeks, Webb has expressed his great admiration for Senator Feingold.  And Feingold obviously needs help playing in the South, which is somewhat alien territory for him.  Could Jim Webb help him in that?

7) Barack Obama most likely isn't running in 2008, but for future Presidential runs, it seems to me that an alliance with Jim Webb could be very useful, both to him and also to Jim Webb.  As you know, Jim Webb has talked repeatedly about moving beyond the decades-old divide between working class whites and African Americans.  In October 2004, Webb wrote:

In fact, the greatest realignment in modern politics would take place rather quickly if the right national leader found a way to bring the Scots-Irish and African Americans to the same table, and so to redefine a formula that has consciously set them apart for the past two centuries.

Could an Obama-Webb alliance help accomplish this goal, and in so doing, change America forever?  Even the possibility of this happening sends shivers of excitement up my spine. The bottom line is that I love even the thought of an alliance between Senator Obama and Senator Webb.

8) Colin Powell.  This one would be fascinating.  Remember that Powell was, not very long ago, the most respected politician in America.  Many people believe that the Presidency was Powell's for the asking in 2000. Today, however, after serving as Secretary of State in the Bush Administration, Powell's star has dimmed somewhat.  The question is, could an alliance wtih Jim Webb, who opposed the invasion of Iraq just as Powell did in 1991, and very much in line with the Powell Doctrine, be helpful to both men?  This one's highly intriguing.  We'll see what happens.

9) Before we conclude, let's not forget Al Gore.  Although Gore hasn't appeared interested in running for President in 2008, you never know.  Certainly, he's given some powerful speeches in recent months, including this past Martin Luther King Day in Washington DC, where he spoke powefully about the "constitutional crisis" we now face under George W. Bush and the right-wing theocratic Republicans.  For his part, Jim Webb has talked about reining in the unbridled power of the executive branch, and also about his belief that government should be limited when it comes to personal privacy matters.  Could this be a natural alliance that could help both men?

Oh yeah, before I forget, the big LOSER in any of these scenarios is none other than our current sibling-abusing, racially questionable, bored-out-of-his-mind, wished-he-had-been-born-in-Iowa, Southern California cowboy junior Senator, George Felix Allen.  Seems to me that a Jim Webb candidacy is already making Allen nervous, with Allen spies following Webb (but not Harris Miller) around the atate.  Imagine adding Mark Warner, John Edwards, and Barack Obama - among others - to Team Webb? 

Meanwhile, who's George Allen going to add to his team (aside from the usual GOP hatchet people like Scott "Black Hands" Howell)?  John Warner, who likes and admires Jim Webb greatly?  John McCain, who likes and admires Jim Webb greatly as well?  George W. Bush, whose popularity rating in Virginia was a lodestone on Jerry Kilgore last year, and is even worse in 2006?  Dick "Torture" Cheney?  Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum?  Jim "Drove Virginia into a Ditch" Gilmore?  Ollie "Convicted Felon" North?  Rudolph "Pro-Gay-Marriage and Pro-Choice" Giuliani?  Wow, great choices there, George. 

So, what do you think of my list?  Is it totally off base?  Did I leave anyone off who you think should be on?  Your thoughts, as always, are much appreciated.  Thanks.

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