It's clear that while Bush can let Cheney do his dirty work, Kerry has to take on both roles. This is not good for him at this point, and is unnecessary. Next week will be two months after Super Tuesday and six months before the election. It's time for Kerry to choose his running mate.
Now, the other side of the argument is that he should wait and see what events take center stage the next month or two before making his selection. The theory being that unforeseen events may make one particular contender preferrable to another. But we all know what the issues are going to be. Would a terrorist attack or worsening bloodshed in Iraq make a difference? I don't see how. The issues are Iraq, terror and the economy. Nothing that will happen in the next two months will change that.
And Kerry must know who he wants at this point. Johnson has had some six weeks to vet the contenders, and I'm sure the campaign has done extensive polling. So what's the point in waiting any longer? I think it's been smart not to rush the choice up to this point. But two months is enough time. Waiting beyond, say, next week will start to really hurt Kerry's ability to respond to the Bush campaign's attacks and his ability to appear "presidential." So, Sen. Kerry, let's get on with it. It's about time to choose.