Cultural Cuisinart

From over at The Hill:

Sen. Jim Webb (Va.), considered one of the favorites to be picked as Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) running mate on the Democratic ticket, announced Monday that he would not be a candidate for the job.

“Last week I communicated to Sen. 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,” Webb said. “Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for vice president.”

The former Navy secretary said he “entered elective politics because of my commitment to strengthen America's national security posture, to promote economic fairness, and to increase government accountability.”

Webb added that he has “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.”

The senator said the recent passage of his GI Bill has given him “renewed confidence that the Congress can indeed work effectively across party lines and address the concerns of our citizens.”

While this saddens me, in the end, I think it's the right call. Webb's success with the G.I. Bill and his willingness and ability to be a vocal representative of the Democratic platform regarding national security convinces me that he's in the right place to best help his country.

This will lead to another round of speculation on who the VP will be. I've seen several articles talking up Katheen Sebelius from Kansas. Based on her speech in response to the President's State of the Union address, I'm unimpressed with her ability to inspire (particularly when her speech is compared to the amazing one Webb gave the previous year). Evan Bayh is a possibility, I suppose, as is the fellow from Ohio.

While you may see both Chuck Hagel and Wesley Clark's names bandied about, I think both have some major problems (especially Clark, given the recent manufactured controversy about his McCain's comments) that will exclude them in the end.

I'm hoping for someone unexpected, in a way, to keep things interesting.