Kerry Picks Edwards

In a move that is at once obviously inevitable and stupefyingly surprising, JFK has picked Senator John Edwards to be his running mate. Obvious and inevitable because Edwards came in number two in the Democrat primaries, and surprising because Edwards offers Kerry nothing that will help him in his run for the presidency. A pretty face, a quick wit, an empty suit. This man has no legislation that bears his name, no executive or foreign policy experience in his curriculum vitae, and it is doubtful that he can even deliver his own state at the polls.

I just saw an evening's rotation of the news shows, with each show trotting out their democrats, and they all confirmed as much. Their main point was to say that John Edwards has as much (read none) foreign policy experience as George Bush had four years ago. I hate to break it to them, but the John Edwards of today is not running against the Bush team of four years ago. Love him or hate him, but George W. Bush has had a shitload of foreign policy experience in the last three and a half years. Foreign leaders may fear him, or hate him, but at least they know him, and know that he is not a leader to be trifled with. Meanwhile, both Kerry and Edwards are just that, trifles. Pretty, and sweet, but not serious. Bush and company are roast beef. You may not like them, but they are surely substantial.

Even over at The Guardian, no less of a light than Ann Clywyd has seen that the left needs to respond to the situation in Iraq as it exists today, not as they might have crafted it had they held power over America these last four years. While Kerry and Edwards repeat their mantra of Bush Lied, People Died, the American electorate will see a party that is pining away for the reinstatement of Saddam Hussein. After all, if the war was wrong, then Saddam should be in power. Absent the will and the balls to attack, the dictator would still be in power, draining the blood from political prisoners and feeding them into shredders. The American people are just not foolish enough to believe that Saddam had no link to the 911 murderers, as the Chicago Tribune has realized.

These are days of great events, and Kerry and the Democrats hope to win an election over health care and the economy, just as the trial of the dictator gets under way. Just as Iran and North Korea get ready to test their brand new nukes. And Kerry picks a running mate with less foreign policy experience than I do?!?! As I said, it's stupefying.