If nothing else, Webb’s candidacy is evocative of another former presidential contender: Wesley Clark. Clark became a bit of a darling when a possible candidacy first emerged. A former Army General, he seemed well-poised to lead the party’s efforts to position itself as able to fix the problems with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He checked off a lot of boxes on that checklist, too, but his campaign never really got off the ground.
There are other reasons for skepticism — that we assumed in September might prevent Webb from making this announcement at all. (The word “Confederacy” makes an appearance, which is not one of the things most Democrats look for in a candidate.
We have come to the point at which we say, “you never know,” which is the last box on the “How to write about 2016” checklist (also available in bulk). And you don’t ever know. But maybe if we had more than one election that Webb barely won which we could look at, we’d be able to know a bit better.
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