Webb: no VP, I don't want to be silenced. ...So unsilence him!

    Sam Stein, in the Huffington Post (a publication I respect less and less for its tawdry "TMZ"-type infotainment, but that's another story...), revealingly notes in his article Webb: I Couldn't Speak Openly If I Were V.P. that Jim Webb, everyone's favorite killer senator from the Old Dominion, doesn't want to be considered as Barack Obama's Vice-President because...

    he doesn't like power?

    he doesn't like "Vice"?

    he's afraid he'll morph into Richard Bruce Cheney?

    --No, it's because, the article says,

...In essence, he was concerned about his ability to speak openly. ...

    But can something be done about this?

    (more)

    Why couldn't he still advocate a lot of the things he's advocating when he's Vice President? Is Obama against his populist-style agenda? I imagine not.
    Also, it's not as if his Democratic replacement in the Senate (chosen by Tim Kaine) can't vote for and support some of the same things that Webb would support, too. I.e., certain issues can go forward even if JW isn't in the Senate to support them.....and as "President of the Senate", the VP, Webb certainly wouldn't be bereft of Senate influence!!

    The VP search isn't over yet, and if Obama can convince Webb that he will be given considerable latitude to speak, maybe just maybe Webb will decide that an Obama/Webb ticket is worth it.

    Remember, though things seem to be goin' good now, if we're blowing up Iran or something in October, and the Dem ticket has no one with any military experience (much less being a war hero), things might go sour electorally a lot faster than anyone might guess. Especially if Iran commits some atrocities in reprisal, etc. etc. We live in a tough world.

    In fact, please write a quick mail to the Obama campaign as I have done, e.g., Joe Rospars the Internet director at [e-mail] (and cc to his assistant Anna Kim at [e-mail] ), saying something like,

   

[subject: Webb for VP]

Dear Barack Obama c/o Joe Rospars:

    Please assure Jim Webb that if he were Obama's Vice President, he would still have substantial freedom of speech. Webb is concerned that he wouldn't be able to speak out as VP, but you seem like a respecter of free speech; and we could really use Webb as VP in these times of war.
    Thank you,
                       Sincerely,
                                       [you]

    Remember, if you don't send this mail, and we end up with an Obama/Pee Wee Herman ticket (or any non-optimum ticket, actually), you may end up on election night, when McCain/Coulter get elected, screaming into the mirror like David Byrne, "MY GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE!!"