Denied the No. 1 Slot, Edwards Positions Himself for No. 2
WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Senator John Edwards was fielding questions the other day from a group of fifth graders visiting the capital from his home state, North Carolina, when someone asked, "What was it like running against John Kerry?"
Mr. Edwards quickly corrected the student. "I didn't really run against John Kerry," he said with a smile.
This whimsical attempt to erase any hint of a rivalry with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee captured Mr. Edwards's delicate pas de deux these days:
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Kerry needs to look presidental, which is why he has not really gone after the Republicans in the way almost all of us would like to see him do so. What our party needs much more then a regional candidate to balance the ticket is an attack dog to balance the ticket.
We need to be honest that this isn't going to be nearly as much about what the public thinks of Kerry as much as it is about what the public thinks of Bush and the job he has done. A strong VP that is willing to go on the offensive with pointed and effective attacks on Bush and the Republicans would be far more benifical to Kerry and the party then selecting some regional candidate (ie Edwards) that is mostly a smiley face, and has yet to prove he can really go on the attack sucessfully.
Agnew was a great choice for Nixon in 68 regardless of the fact he wasn't a regionally helpful candidate since Nixon could look presidental and above the fray while Agnew attacked left wing Republicans, the dems, and the media. Since the VP is given much greater leeway to look unpresidental by the media and the public.
We need someone as VP this year that will really take it to the Republicans and Bush. Edward's may be a pretty face and he may have gotten some popularity in the party by the media boosting him up. But, that isn't going to amount to a hill of beans if he can't really get tough on Bush and the Republicans and tear them a new one. I mean I have seen Edwards attacks and they don't have a 1000th the power and sheer force of someone like Edward Kennedy, Dean, or Clinton. Their attacks are clear, concise, and powerful in a way I have yet to see from Edwards.