There is a lot of speculation that Virginia Senator Jim Webb would make an appealing vice presidential nominee for the Democrats. Some of it emanates from this magazine. It's not hard to see why. Webb is a tough-as-nails Marine veteran of Vietnam who served as a Navy secretary under Ronald Reagan, a vociferous enemy of the Iraq war and an extremely improbable progressive. He's also from the capitol of the Old Confederacy as its 11 electoral votes trend Democratic. What's more, if the nominee is Barack Obama, having a war veteran who also writes paeans to the Scots-Irish cultural tradition round out the ticket creates a juggernaut not seen since Spider-Man joined the New Avengers.

But there's actually a more important way Jim Webb can help elect the Democratic nominee. It has everything to do with the story he can tell at the convention this summer—a story about how the Republican Party abandoned him, and through him, the U.S. military, at a time of war. Call it the Reverse Jeane Kirkpatrick.

i thought dr. strange tipped the scales myself.
 russell | 8:23 AM

I still think it's a travesty that Wolverine is on an Avengers team, however. Uncool.
 Niko Karvounis | 2:35 PM