Raising Kaine has Jim Webb's statement.
Last week I communicated to Senator Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate, where I believe I am best equipped to serve the people of Virginia and this country. Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for Vice President.A year and a half ago, the people of Virginia honored me with election to the U.S. Senate. I entered elective politics because of my commitment to strengthen America's national security posture, to promote economic fairness, and to increase government accountability. I have worked hard to deliver upon that commitment, and I am convinced that my efforts and talents toward those ends are best served in the Senate.
In this regard, the bipartisan legislative template we were able to put into effect through 18 months of work in order to enact the new, landmark GI Bill will serve as a prototype for my future endeavors in government. This process, wherein we brought 58 Senators from both parties to the table as co-sponsors, along with more than 300 members of the House, gives me renewed confidence that the Congress can indeed work effectively across party lines and address the concerns of our citizens.
At this time I am also renewing my commitment to work hard to make sure that Senator Obama wins both Virginia and the presidency this November. He is a man who speaks eloquently about our national goals and calls for the practical solutions that must be put into place to obtain them. I will proudly campaign for him.
Well, there goes Obama's best non-Clinton option. I'm glad to see Webb out of contention, actually, as he's a real asset in the senate and that was one hell of a seat to win. The question now remains will Obama go in the Sam Nunn direction -- elder statesman to shore up perceived experience deficit while undermining the whole "you can't keep sending the same people to Washington and expect a different result" thing -- or does he go the Kathleen Sebelius route -- reinforcing his change and bi-partisan cooperation messages but doing nothing to assuage those concerned with his lack of foreign policy experience.
Over the past two weeks, the Obama campaign has been approaching issues from a defensive stance, conceding right-wing definitions of toughness and values in order to appeal to red state voters. Assuming he continues in this vein, my guess would be he's leaning toward an elder statesman model for VP, unless he decides ultimately to go with Clinton who brings a little bit of the best of both words to the ticket. I still don't think a Clinton pick is terribly likely but I must say, as time goes on, the upside of Clinton as VP seems to grow while the downside of picking her diminishes.
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