I was sitting down to write a post about why Howard Dean would be a better vice-presidential nominee than John Edwards, when
lo and behold...
Acknowledging that his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination is "a longer shot than it was," Howard Dean suggested today that he would accept the No. 2 spot on a national ticket if it were offered.
"I would, to the extent, do anything I could to get rid of President Bush," Dr. Dean said on a morning radio program in Milwaukee. `I'll do whatever is best for the party. Obviously, I'm running for president, but whatever's best is what I'll do. Anything. We've just got to change presidents. We're really hurting right now.`
Asked whether he would endorse any of his opponents, Dr. Dean said: "Probably not at this point. We are planning on winning, so we're not thinking about endorsing anybody else."
It's a massive longshot, but it's a possibility for two reasons:
- One, we know that John Kerry recognizes the 2004 election can be won by holding onto the twenty 2000-cycle blue states and securing the Sun Belt (i.e., no dire need to pander in the South)
- Two, having Dean on the ticket almost certainly preempts a potentially-devastating Nader run, reinvigorates the Dean fundraising and activism base that Edwards lacks entirely, and goes a long way towards delivering the youth that many believe will be a key '04 swing vote
We shall see...