Vice-President Jim Webb?

Alex Massie makes a compelling case for an Obama/Webb ticket:

And so there’s something compelling to the idea of Vice-President Webb. The political considerations first: the Democrats have no other plausible candidate with anything like Webb’s military experience. At the very least one might think Obama could ask Webb to be a Shadow Secretary of Defense in advance of nominating him to the post after the election. Sure, Webb was a Republican until recently, but in addition to the Navy Cross, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts he won in Vietnam he served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration. He also, and vitally from a Democratic point of view, opposed the Iraq War for reasons that, alas, look more cogent than ever. [...]

An Obama-Webb ticket closes a circle. Much has been said, some of it overblown but enough of it with a kernel of truth to justify the hype and optimism, about how electing Barack Obama would be an act of historic significance, in some way atoning for the original sin of slavery and reconciling the darker elements of American history. As I say, a good deal of this is trite: a President Obama is not going to magically close the divide between white and black America, but there’s enough to this to make the hope it inspires understandable.

Putting Jim Webb on the ticket completes this process. like John McCain, Webb can plausibly claim that his ancestors have fought in almost every American war. Unlike McCain, Webb is a creature of the white working class. He believes his people – the Scots-Irish of Appalachia – remain misunderstood, under-appreciated and disparaged by America’s elites. If Obama is a “wine track” candidate, Jim Webb is definitely “beer track”. He’s quite happy – proud in fact – of his “redneck” stock.

I only have one question: is a Vice-President Webb worth the loss of a Senate seat?  Virginia is trending Democratic, yes, but there’s no guarantee that we could replace Webb with another Democratic senator (as Massie notes, Webb’s victory is due in large part to George Allen’s colossal screw-up).  That said, Webb’s presence would not only balance Obama’s ticket, but it also adds greatly to Obama’s already compelling narrative of racial reconciliation.  A white nationalist and the son of an African immigrant, united both by ideals and a common sense that America can do better.

Damn, the campaign ads write themselves.

(h/t to Raising Kaine)