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The Case Against Edwards for VP
I was an early fan of John Edwards to win the democratic nomination. His performance in the run-up to Iowa revealed him as a skilled communicator in the style of Clinton. I felt at the time (and still do) that his being a strong communicator would draw the votes of independents, and would help him differentiate himself from the incumbent.
After watching Edwards a few more times I became less enamored with his one-issue, unwavering stump speech, but he never lost that ability to communicate clearly.
There has been a lot of call for Kerry to select Edwards as his VP. Edwards came in 2nd in the primaries. He's from the south. He balances the ticket. Etc., etc. Supporters of this idea think he would draw in votes that Kerry would otherwise lose.
The time has clearly come for the Kerry campaign to add some more warm bodies to take it to the Bush administration. I have my own problems with Kerry taking a vacation in the middle of a political dogfight for the future of this country. But regardless of when he decides to come to his senses, he needs more people supporting him.
Look at the media in the last two days since the Clarke interview. You've had Rice, Rumsfeld, McClellan, Cheney, Powell, Bartlett and now Bush defending the administration against Clarke's charges. On the other side, you've got Clarke, and thankfully, Daschle. While we certainly need Kerry (see my last blog entry), we need some more people joining this fight.
And that's where my argument against Edwards stems from. He's clearly not the guy to get down and dirty with scathing critiques of Bush's idiocy. He's not the person to lay the blame for 3000 American deaths at Bush's door. He won't be comfortable dispelling the myths that Bush was a great leader after 9/11.
Whomever Kerry picks needs to fulfill the role of unapologetic Bush critic. That's why I think Clarke might fit the bill. Clearly, Edwards is just too nice a guy to fight these republican dogs.
Update (3/23, 11:39p): Another poll out has Bush in the lead again. With Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 commission tomorrow, it will be the Bushies worst nightmare. Kerry needs to get on this now now now.
Posted on March 23, 2004 08:13 PM
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