Former senator Jim Webb laid out in stark terms the economic and military challenges facing America, saying he is "seriously looking" at a 2016 presidential campaign as a Democrat.

Webb, an ex-Navy secretary under Ronald Reagan who served one term as a senator representing Virginia, outlined in remarks at the National Press Club the federal government's role as the middle class gets squeezed and the U.S. fights to protect national interests abroad. He shared what he called his "governing principles" in his speech and on Twitter.

"The very character of America is being called into question," Webb said Tuesday. "Who are we as a people? What is it that unites us, rather than divides us? Where is our common ground when the centrifugal forces of social cohesion are spinning so out of control that the people at the very top exist in a distant outer orbit?"

A day after the U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria targeting Islamic State group militants, Webb argued the "greatest military power on earth has lacked a clearly defined set of principles that would communicate our national security objectives to our allies, to our potential adversaries and, most importantly, to our own people."

Asked about his political future, Webb ruled out a White House bid as an independent. He said he has been talking to people about the direction of the country and wants to see whether he has a "support base" if he decides to run for president.

"I have strong reasons for being a Democrat," Webb said. "Basically, if you want true fairness in society you want to give a voice in the corridors of power for the people who otherwise would not have it, I believe that will come from the Democratic Party and we're taking a hard look, and we'll get back to you in a few months."

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