Webb Would Be a Bold Choice for Obama's No. 2

Rumors are swirling about a vice-presidential ballot spot for Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), left, shown with Tim Russert during a taping of "Meet the Press," one stop on a media tour for Webb's book, "A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America." (By Alex Wong -- Getty Images For Meet The Press)

Webb's focus on the economic plight of working-class Americans, many of whom live in rural communities, could help Obama win over some of those voters who have so far been skeptical of him.

Beyond Webb's potential national appeal, Obama will probably need some help if he wants to win Virginia in the fall. If an Obama-Webb ticket wins Virginia's 13 electoral votes, which last went to a Democrat in 1964, it's hard to see how it wouldn't win the general election.

But despite the early campaign among pundits and bloggers for Obama to choose Webb, there are plenty of reasons why the Illinois senator might look elsewhere for a running mate.

Unlike other potential Obama running mates, such as Clinton or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), Webb remains relatively unvetted because much of the focus during the 2006 Senate race was on former senator George Allen (R-Va.).

One well-known component of Webb's background might limit his appeal to Obama. After a primary campaign in which some of Clinton's female supporters say she was mistreated by Obama and the media, a few are threatening to sit out the general election if Obama is the nominee.

Webb might not be Obama's best choice for winning them over.

As those who followed Webb's 2006 campaign can recall, he was dogged by an article he wrote in 1979, when he was a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, titled "Women Can't Fight." The article argued against allowing women to fight in combat, a view Webb has since renounced.

Webb survived that controversy during his Senate campaign, beating Allen by 10 percentage points among female voters, according to exit polls.

But it's far from clear how women in other states would react to the article, as well as questions that have arisen about Webb's temper and some passages in his novels.

Another hurdle to Webb being Obama's running mate is his campaign know-how.

Although some Democrats say Webb is getting better, during his 2006 Senate campaign, he was nervous in front of large crowds, couldn't understand why people wanted to shake his hand and hated asking people for money.

Could he board a campaign plane six times a day, shake thousands of hands, kiss babies and give essentially the same speech hundreds of times during a fall general election campaign while under a media spotlight?