Not How He Rolls

By Kleinheider Posted on July 22, 2008 at 6:57 am

Senator Jim Webb explains why he could not and would not be Barack Obama’s second banana:

“I was saying from day one I really wasn’t interested,” said Webb, once considered a frontrunner to be Obama’s second in command. “People would ask me about this and I would say I have been in elected office for two years and I have a great staff around me and we are focusing on issues I can talk about openly, which would be hard to do if I were part of an administration. And there was so much speculation after my book was published and the primary had passed that I thought I would clear the air.”

Reminded by Rose that his assets - an ability to reach working class Democrats and carry his home state of Virginia - were important Obama needs, Webb responded: “Both of those considerations are still doable to the extent that they are true with me campaigning with and for Sen. Obama wherever he wants me. I think Virginia is very much in play and I will do everything I can to help him out. But it is a life decision and being inside an administration is a totally different phenomenon then being in the senate in terms of speaking openly on certain issues. I’m happy where I am.”

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Tags: Barack Obama, Jim Webb, second banana