Former Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb is showing signs that he could be planning to run for the White House in 2016 as an independent after criticizing Hillary Clinton's handling of Benghazi on Facebook and Twitter over the holiday weekend.
"Clinton should be called to account for her inept leadership that brought about the chaos in Libya," Webb posted on his Facebook page Saturday, according to Newsmax. "Our next commander in chief must define a strategic vision for the country and accept accountability for past actions."
Webb, who once served as secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration before switching parties and winning a Virginia senate seat, dropped out of the race in October after noting that his views don't align with the majority of the Democratic Party.
"I fully accept that my views on many issues are not compatible with the power structure and base of the Democratic Party," Webb said, according to the New York Times. At the time, he argued that Washington Democrats had rigged the party primary season, a sentiment shared by Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O' Malley.
News of the potential independent run came after a spokeswoman reported that Webb is doing some polling on such a run and would make a decision by New Year's, according to FOX News.
If he does choose to run as an independent, Webb may have difficulty raising millions and building the infrastructure required to run a competitive campaign.
On the other hand, others believe an independent run could spell bad news for Clinton in a close race, pointing to Ralph Nader taking 2.7 percent of the national vote in 2000, which many Democrats believe caused Al Gore to lose Florida and ultimately the presidential election.
"Conservatives laud (Webb's) service as a decorated Vietnam War veteran and secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan," said John Fund of the National Review. "But while he was in the Senate, Webb was a reliable vote for Democratic initiatives, including Obamacare and the Dodd-Frank financial-regulation bill. An economic populist, he says that both parties are too close to Wall Street and are responsible for the drop in the median income of middle-class families - it's fallen four percentage points since 2000."
