America
Ex-Democratic senator Jim Webb announces US presidential candidacy
Washington, July 3
Former Virginia senator Jim
Webb has announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party's US
presidential nomination via email and his Web page.
"I understand
the odds, particularly in today's political climate where fair debate
is so often drowned out by huge sums of money," said the ex-lawmaker
who, however, said he had decided to run to try and "unite" the country.
He
called in his announcement on Thursday for a "new approach" to solve
the biggest problems confronting the nation and a leader who can "shake
the hold of (the) shadow elites on our political process".
Although
his name has been mentioned for months as a potential Democratic
contender for the party's presidential nomination, whether or not he
would run was not clear until he decided to involve himself despite the
strong criticism he had expressed about the campaign financing system
and the management of campaigns, Efe news agency reported.
"Our
fellow Americans need proven, experienced leadership that can be trusted
to move us forward from a new president's first days in office," he
said in his announcement.
His message, directed mainly to his
supporters, emphasised his military experience as a troop commander in
the Vietnam War and as assistant defense secretary and secretary of the
Navy during the 1981-1989 presidency of Ronald Reagan.
Webb
becomes the fifth Democrat to throw his hat into the ring, along with
former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, Vermont Senator Bernie
Sanders, former Rhode Island senator Lincoln Chafee and the hot
favourite: former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
In a clear
allusion to Clinton's decisions while she was a senator and head of the
State Department, Webb said that he would not have voted to involve the
US in war in Iraq if he had been a senator at that time, adding that he
would not have used military force in Libya during the Arab Spring.