“What I would like to see in our country is people setting aside ethnicity … and working on true issues of economic fairness,” Webb said, explaining that’s the reason he decided to run for the Senate as a Democrat back in 2006 after having served in the Reagan administration. “You take care of the people who have no power.”

At the event, Webb actually tried to walk back from recent presidential chatter, which started after he went on NPR and WAMU's "The Diane Rehm Show" earlier this week and gave a, “Well, I’m not saying I’m not” response, as he described it Thursday, to a question about his White House ambitions.

“Which it kind of sounds like you’re saying you are,” he admitted.

When asked about the White House again, Webb said at first that he had to keep quiet because of a National Archives rule. “I’m not allowed to talk politics in this room,” Webb said. (For the record, the rules state, “You may not use [Archives] property … for partisan, political, sectarian, or similar purposes.")

[The Democrats' Anti-Koch Capitol Hill Show Goes On]

He then explained why he’s re-emerged. Like a pendulum, Webb has swung in and out of public service throughout his entire career. He was a Marine. He went to law school and started writing. He worked as legal counsel on Capitol Hill. He wrote more books and “did some journalism.” He joined the Reagan administration, then left and did more book writing. He became a U.S. Senator, served one term and then went back to the books. “I think it’s healthy, quite frankly,” Webb said of his yearlong detox from interviews, op-eds and politics.

“And now with the publication of my book, I’m going to step back in and really get involved again in the issues that are facing our country,” Webb said. While his career pattern would suggest he’s swinging back toward a stint in public service, Webb said he's taking things a day at a time.

"I care a lot about the issues facing our country," he said.

