Former Democratic Sen. Jim Webb is still not ruling out a potential presidential bid.
“We’re taking this one day at a time,” Webb said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if he was interested in the presidency.
Webb left the Senate at the end of his first term in January 2013 and last month published a book, “I Heard My Country Calling.” From the time he left Congress until he released his new title, Webb stayed out of the limelight to focus on his writing and “clear his head.”
But he said he’s “very happy to be back in the discussion – that’s the main thing.”
“I think I’m better when I can have my own voice,” he told Candy Crowley, CNN’s chief political correspondent. “It’s one of the reasons that I stepped away from the Senate.”
A veteran of the Vietnam War who also served as Navy secretary and assistant defense secretary, Webb reiterated that he’s not interested in leading the Veterans Affairs Department after the resignation of Secretary Eric Shinseki.
“I’m always happy to give advice, but I’m really not interested in being in the administration right now,” Webb said. He expressed similar sentiments about the VA position Friday on CNN’s “The Lead With Jake Tapper.”
On Sunday, he said the VA needs a leader “who knows how to run institutions and who understands the nature of government bureaucracies.”
“You need to have both,” he added.
