It has been suggested in recent weeks that Barack Obama, if he wins the Democratic nomination, should select Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) as his running mate. Such suggestions are -- and I mean this as gently as possible -- insane. Among Democratic governors and senators, I don't know that I can think of a single worse vice presidential candidate for Obama. Maybe Robert Byrd (who is 90 years old and used to be in the KKK). Here are five reasons Obama can not tab Webb for VP:

1. Webb is a conservative Democrat. He has only been a Democrat for two years -- he was a Republican until 2006 -- and he served in the Reagan Administration. While Obama has done very well with independent voters, he needs to shore up his Democratic base, and I don't see how Webb does that. Such a cynical, obviously political ploy could also turn off many of the progressives and young voters who have supported Obama to this point.

2. Webb has faced accusations of misogyny. After a shockingly divisive primary in which Senator Clinton was a regular victim of sexism in the media, and in which women overwhelmingly supported her, Senator Obama needs to consolidate the Democratic Party's largest and most important constituency. In 1979, while at the Navy, Webb wrote an article entitled "Women Can't Fight". In the essay, Webb flatly states that "no benefit to anyone can come from women serving in combat." It gets much worse from there, and is an undeniably sexist document. Read it if you don't believe me -- it's pretty bad. It's probably unfair to speculate on whether his misogyny contributed to either of Webb's divorces.

3. Webb would hurt Obama with Hispanics. This is already a weak constituency for Obama, to the point that Bill Richardson -- the Hispanic governor of a border state -- makes a very tempting Vice Presidential nominee. But Webb "takes a harder line on illegal immigration than many Senate Republicans." A hard-line immigration critic who voted to build a fence on the Mexican border and declare English the national language could hurt not only Obama, but -- in a worst-case scenario -- the Democratic Party's future with Hispanics.

4. Webb shares Obama's weaknesses. The most persuasive argument against Obama is his lack of experience. Webb has years of military service, but his direct experience in politics is even more limited than Senator Obama's. Webb has spent less than two years in elected office, and his nine-month stint as Secretary of the Navy for Reagan counts for far less than Obama's years in the Illinois State Senate. Where a Chris Dodd or Bill Richardson could add gravitas to Obama's ticket, Webb might actually subtract in that area.

5. Webb doesn't bring a state with him. Conventional wisdom says that a presidential candidate should try to find a running mate from a swing state. That's obviously not necessary -- I think Bush II could have won Wyoming without Cheney, for instance -- but it can certainly be helpful. Webb is from Virginia, which is traditionally a red state but which many believe Obama might be able to win. The state has been trending Democratic, and Obama soundly beat Senator Clinton there in the Democratic primary. The problem is that Virginians aren't that crazy about Webb. They don't know him very well yet -- he's been in the Senate for less than a year and a half, and he never served in any other state office -- and he won less than 50% of the popular vote in 2006. Someone like Russ Feingold (Wisconsin) or Richardson (New Mexico), who are popular and well-known in their states, would make more sense if this is one of Obama's goals.


What Webb would bring to the ticket are military experience and a Centrist résumé. I don't believe those assets outweigh the disadvantages with progressives, young people, women, and Hispanics, nor do they address concerns about Obama's lack of experience, or offer a clear advantage in a swing state. Further, I think the movement to draft Webb as Obama's VP fundamentally misunderstands the mood in the country and the reasons Obama's campaign has been successful. By substantial majorities, the American public disapproves of Republicans and the ways they have run the country for the last 14 years. But Americans have also rejected the failed "triangulation" policies embodied by the Clintons and their closest political allies, and choosing Webb as a vice presidential candidate would represent the same sort of conservative appeasement that has consistently failed both the Democratic Party and the nation as a whole.