By: E&P Staff Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, prominently mentioned as a vice presidential candidate running with Barack Obama, responds in The New York Times tomorrow to those predictions. He says, "I've never had a conversation with Barack about any of this, so it's really out of line to speculate."
What he has talked to Obama about: that neither used ghost writers on their recent books. "We write our own stuff," Webb observes.
He does rule out Wesley Clark and Colin Powell as V.P. candidates, however, asserting that, "I don't think anyone who's running for president would realistically choose someone who's never held elected office." He adds that a nominee for president is "going to want someone on your ticket who's demonstrated he can get votes." He notes that Gov. Ted Strickland, another V.P. contender, has also been elected to a House seat, comes from "an important state," and is "well-regarded."
Asked about the criticism often aimed at Webb -- that he is too intense -- Webb replies simply, "I've been accused of being intense."
In the Times Magazine interview, Deborah Solomon wonders if Webb's one victory for office really "deepened" him that much. He replies that running for office "was one of the most brutal things I've ever been through," citing the name-calling and "the whole attempt to destroy your personal credibility. That's the Karl Rove approached."
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