Virginia's James Webb would be another Democrat I would put in that category. Former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, and a writer of some pretty good books, including Born Fighting, and Fields of Fire. Thankfully he said he would not be interested in being Obama’s VP.
I think it will be Webb, despite his declaration of disinterest.
That was then, and the Hussein campaign may have ‘turned’ Webb.
Nit pick: Webb wasn’t SECDEF - only SECNAV.