Webb hits Obama on lack of transparency

CEDAR RAPIDS - Potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb criticized the Obama administration Monday for its lack of transparency on proposed agreements on trade and Iranian nuclear proliferation.

Webb, who served one term in the Senate after a stint as secretary of the Navy, told a radio audience the American people should be able to read the agreements President Barack Obama is proposing with Iran on nuclear proliferation as well as the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership before Congress votes on approving them.

'One of the big concerns in this administration writ large is the lack of transparency on a lot of these agreements,” he said on WHO Radio. 'I believe this administration needs to reveal the wording in the document in a way we can understand what it is before they move forward with this fast-track.”

Webb doesn't necessarily oppose fast track or free trade pacts. As a senator, he backed the Korean free trade agreement, or giving fast-track authority to the president to negotiate trade agreements, in part, for regional security reasons, he said.

'But if you do fast track right now, you are assuring that this agreement that we haven't read is going to pass, and I don't think that's healthy,” he said.

Webb, 69, has been exploring a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in Iowa and New Hampshire. He plans to announce before the end of the month whether he will join Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race.

'The decision point is ‘Can we put together a viable campaign without having to fall into this financial campaign funding process, which I think is damaging to the country,' ” Webb told host Jan Mickelson.

He demurred on a question whether there is an 'anybody but Clinton” sentiment among Democratic activists. However, Webb said, there is an unease among activists with the attention other candidates are receiving.

'I believe there are a lot of people out there who are looking for a different form of leadership,” Webb said. 'This country really does need principled leadership from people who have a record and can demonstrate that they have acted in ways that produced results rather than simply making promises.

'I think there is a lot of movement right now around Bernie (Sanders) just for people to show they are uneasy,” he said.