The Prowler reports on the main site that Sam Nunn, the former
Georgia senator, is actually being vetted by the Obama camp. Nunn
brings some of the advantages that Webb would, and then some. Like
Webb, he is a respected voice on foreign and military affairs who
was a Cold War hawk rather than a McGovernite. Also like Webb, he
opposed the Iraq war (he also voted against the first Persian Gulf
War, probably in anticipation of a 1992 presidential bid, though
for obvious reasons that did not work out as well for Nunn
politically). Nunn chaired the Armed Services Committee.
Unlike Webb, Nunn actually was frequently to the right of the
Democratic Party line in the Senate. He was instrumental in beating
back Bill Clinton's gays in the military gambit and also voted
against the 1993 Clinton tax increase. Nunn was also among the
conservative Democrats who helped get the BTU-based energy tax
dropped from the budget. He was originally pro-life and continued
to support some abortion restrictions after becoming pro-choice.
Although not fully on board with the Reagan program, he did help
fortify the 1980s supply-side consensus. And between Nunn and Bob
Barr, McCain might really have to fight for Georgia, which Ross
Perot helped Bill Clinton carry in 1992.
The Prowler's Democratic sources raise some Larison-like
objections to Nunn: They argue he would tower over Obama and
emphasize his weaknesses rather than compensate for them. It's also
worth noting that Nunn has been out of office for over a decade, is
unfamiliar to most voters, and has become something of a
nuclear-weapons abolitionist. It's not difficult to imagine how
that last position might be portrayed on the campaign trail.
topics:
Bill Clinton, Abortion, Military, Iraq, NATO, Energy
