Once a rival, Edwards staying close to Kerry

[Justice]

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/06/10/once_a_rival_edwards_staying_close_to_kerry/

"More than any other potential number two, Edwards is waging a passive-aggressive bid for the vice presidency."

To date, the list of potential running mates is thought to include Edwards; Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri; Governors Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, and Mark Warner of Virginia; Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana; and retired Army General Wesley K. Clark of Arkansas.

A common refrain among those in each candidate's camp is that Kerry would turn to Gephardt for help in the Midwest, Clark if national security continues to be a dominant issue, and Edwards if the base needs a jolt of energy and the campaign wants to force the Republicans to defend territory in the South."

Story also highlights that Kennedy supports Edwards (he apparently wanted Edwards to be Gore's running mate in 2000 - interesting).

[Gasolinedream]

1. I still am very

pro-Edwards. And make CLark Secretary of Defense.

[Justice]

2. For the 100000000 time,

Clark has not been out of the military for 10 years, and thus cannot be SOD.

[bleedingheart]

8. okay to make you do it the 100000001th time..

I think they should make Clark Secretary of Defense...

:silly:

[shoelace414]

11. Clark

Ok. so make Clark the Secretary of State

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Works for me

There are any number of places he could be of great use: The U.N., Commerce, Transportation, Homeland Security, National Security Advisor...

[Hobarticus]

27. Clark's certainly more qualified than Powell, daresay.

He built a coalition that WORKED, still works to this day, and he didn't even have to lie.

[Langis]

19. I would love that!

[gandalf]

3. That seems to confirm the Bilderberg rumors

Some days ago there were rumors that Edward s visit to the Bilderberg conference last week end had the purpose to determine his role as a vice president.

That seems to be even more plausible now.

For people who are not afraid of being labelled as tinfoil hatters:
http://www.bilderberg.org/2004.htm

on edit: link added.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Gotta keep it in the family.

Bilderberg members include former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, U.S. Senators Christopher Dodd, John Kerry and Chuck Hagel, World Bank chief James Wolfensohn, France's central bank governor Jean-Claude Trichet and former IMF heads Michel Camdessus and Stanley Fischer.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/news_alert_052301_bilderberg.html

[gandalf]

17. Michael Rupper (FTW) on John Kerry, October 2003:

Michael Ruppert (Beyond Bush II) placed a bet on Kerry already in October 2003:

John Kerry remains the big dog in the race. A decorated Vietnam War hero, the four-term Massachusetts Senator is a member of both the CFR and the secret Skull and Bones fraternity at Yale that also claims Bush I and Bush II as members. ...

I have a long history with Kerry. Back in 1986, 1987, and 1988, I was in contact with his office and his chief of staff Jonathan Winer on a number of occasions about CIA drug trafficking. They eagerly asked for any material I could send them and gave me a direct line. It was one of my most bitter lessons about how hot issues are controlled. Kerry, in charge of the potentially explosive Iran-Contra drug hearings succeeded in producing a 1,200-page record that was a treasure trove of information for researchers, but absolutely useless in unraveling a corruption that controls the US government to this day. What lies buried in those pages was enough to have turned the American political system inside out. In the end, its greatest usefulness was as a benchmark against which to compare the CIA's investigation of itself after the 1996 Dark Alliance stories and hard revelations of CIA connections to cocaine smuggling that Kerry knew all about anyway. ...

And still - as intended - nothing changed. John Kerry had successfully contained what was, up to that time, the biggest scandal in American history.

Wealthy in his own right, Kerry's fortune has been reinforced by the wealth of his wife (heir to the Heinz food fortune), estimated by the Associated Press at $550 million. This is old money and deeply rooted in establishment politics.

A key sign that Kerry might be the anointed one came for me when George W. Bush's chief counter-terrorism adviser Rand Beers resigned in a dramatic moment last June, in protest over Bush's handling of the war on terror and his headlong rush into Iraq. Beers immediately became Kerry's senior foreign policy advisor, as Kerry continued to state that he would improve on and expand the war on terror. Beers' protestations concealed what I considered to be a much more sinister objective, the placement of a key, hands-on operative to manage a smooth transition of power and a continuation of secret policy. Beers, who had served in national security roles for three Republican administrations, was the man who had replaced Lt. Col. Oliver North after North was fired in 1987 during the Iran-Contra scandal.

Although Beers is not listed as a CFR member he was a key contributor, and acknowledged in a 1996 CFR report "Making Intelligence Smarter" produced by a CFR panel headed by AIG Chairman Maurice "Hank" Greenberg. Narconews publisher Al Giordano refers to Beers as a "CFR type". One thing is certain, Rand Beers committed perjury right after 9/11 by testifying before Congress that Colombian and Ecuadorian rebels had links to Al Qaeda. He got caught and had to go back and amend his testimony and retract the statement.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. Well aware of the Beers connection (and not happy about it) but

the way some tell it around here, Kerry is an exposer not a cover-upper. The lack of indictments tells the story. I'm normally not a :tinfoilhat: person but I'm not naive enough to believe that running in elite circles (the benign view of Bilderburg) doesn't have major fringe benefits. To whit, how many Senators aren't millionaires? 50 millionaires and 50 near millionaires. Or to put it differently, how many live solely on their Senate salary? I'd venture none. Interesting to note that Kerry was dead in the water in October 2003 and pulled off a miracle with the help of the media (chopping another candidate off at the knees and ignoring others) and the help of the inner circle of Congress vote swapping in Iowa. But I'm not bitter! So stop saying that!

Edit to add: Not happy about Richard Morningstar either.

[Tellurian]

20. Nah, determinations are made by committees. He was there for an interview.

Bilderbergermeisters...

WESLEY CLARK!

[Somawas]

4. As a North Carolinian

all I can say is that I don't really get the enthusiasm for Edwards. Nice guy. Never went negative in the states he campaigned in. Anything else?

[Justice]

6. I would think you could offer us more perspective on Edwards

seeing as how you are from NC and he was your senator for 6 years, long before he ran for president.

Any other thoughts?

[styersc]

7. As a South Carolinian

I can tell you that I would hope Edwards gets the VP nod as a way of closing the "personality gap". I have met all of the candidates that ran in SC Primary and Edwards and Dean were by far the one who drew the greatest enthusiasm. Apathy is a big enemy this cycle. Edwards can shake up the youth vote, cause Bush to defend his southern flank and help Kerry with soccer-moms and fence sitters.

[chimpymustgo]

5. Edwards is the one.

Also this from the article:

"...In a sign of his enduring popularity with party activists, Edwards is often the second choice of speakers after Kerry himself.

''There are few national surrogates who are automatic draws and John Edwards is one of the them," said Mike Erlandson, chairman of Minnesota's Democratic Party. ''There's no question that the energy that he brings to the campaign trail would be a good addition to a presidential campaign that's already being well-received around the country."..."

Kerry/Edwards '04. And beyond...

[bushgottago]

14. I agree

Kerry is a little stiff and Edwards is light and funny. He ads the "Good 'ole boy" factor to the ticket. And - most important - I can spell his name.

[robbedvoter]

9. Passive aggressive is well said:

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-na-edwards3jun03,1,4633673.story?coll=la-politics-pointers
But the role of understudy does not always seem a natural one for Edwards.
Back at Tar Heel Thursday on Capitol Hill, he was asked about his differences with Bush. After ticking off a long list, he stabbed a finger in the air and concluded, "It's the reason I should be president."
"Or John Kerry should be president," he quickly added.

[ChickMagic]

12. Edwards is going to be a speaker

at the Texas Dem Convention. He's definitely gunning for the VP post.

[0007]

13. I have a very strong feeling that John Edwards will be the next VP

[ItsMyParty]

15. That was interesting----I thought perhaps that Kerry already knows

who he will choose since it's getting close to the convention and I think they would want to do the extra, extra scrutiny on one person before they announce to the public. They wouldn't want any surprises developing after the announcement (like Eagleton). I didn't now these guys were still auditioning so to speak. I think any of them bring something to that ticket and it's a shame that we can't have a co-VP-ship. After all, isn't that what they set up for Iraq??? I think any announcement is going to make the spotlight focus for awhile on the Democrats is will be a positive for all of us.

[colonel odis]

16. process of elimination, if nothing else would

lead me to edwards.

gephardt -- smart as a rock and the personality of one to boot

rendell -- every time i see him on tv, i want to take a shower afterwards

richardson -- who?

vilsack -- um... who?

wesley clark -- he's been in politics how long?

mark warner -- mildly interesting

evan bayh -- lots of positives

that leaves john edwards.

just my humble opinions

[Q]

22. Kerry will (of course) choose a fellow DLCer...

...for the VP spot. You can count on it.

[Gloria]

23. So far, Edwards hasn't been on TV discussing Iraq....he knows

zip about foreign policy and if he can't discuss it in public now, what happens during the election?

Why is Wes Clark the only one out there doing the public, heavy lifting?
With Iraq and the state of the world at stake, Kerry needs someone who can deliver the goods clearly and with authority. I wouldn't want to take the chance of "preserving" Clark for an appointed/confirmed post while his expertise could be used very effectively during the campaign itself.

Frankly, I won't be working very hard if Edwards is the VP nominee. The more I've learned about his dealings, the less I like him as a person. He wouldn't generate much enthusiasm from me with his phony pretty boy stuff.

[sundancekid]

24. polls STILL show voters need better Dem credentials on national security

and that should mean Clark for VP ... look at the following analysis, and ask yourself where the "added value" needs to be:

Kerry pulls ahead of Bush in national poll
President leads in 3 key states

By Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times | June 10, 2004

<snip>
On other personal attributes, the poll indicated Americans were developing clear distinctions among the two candidates' strengths and weaknesses.

By 50 percent to 31 percent, those polled said Bush would be best at "keeping the country safe from terrorism." By 45 percent to 36 percent, Bush was picked over Kerry when voters were asked which man shared their moral values.

Perhaps most troubling for the Democrat, nearly half said Kerry "flip-flops on the issues," while just a quarter applied that description to Bush.

But for Bush, the flip-side of the flip-flop charge is a deepening perception that he is too rigid: By a resounding 58 percent to 16 percent, poll respondents said the phrase "too ideological and stubborn" applied more to Bush than to Kerry.

Voters also preferred Kerry by about 10 percentage points when asked which man had better ideas for improving the economy and a better chance of building "respect for the United States around the world."
<snip>
(emphasis added)

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/06/10/kerry_pulls_ahead_of_bush_in_national_poll/

[Gloria]

25. Yup, that is the glaring weakness...and, if there is an "attack" people

will easily slip back further into "stick with Bush" mode....I don't think they're clear enough on all the issues to throw him overboard yet.

Which would be Clark's main goal...to get people thinking clearly about the main issues we being confronted with...

I'm afraid Kerry is going to slip back into formulaic solutions when it comes to VP instead of really doing something bold and STRONG!

Which is why my enthusiasm for Kerry would wane...I would question his judgment, but more importantly, his ability to lead instead of following the usual party politics. And these are UNUSUAL TIMES....and call for
tough, strong campaigning.

Bush has lots of rabbits he can pull out of the hat....to sit back and do the usual would be a disaster. A one term Senator running with another Senator? Easy target when it comes to "leadership experience."

[Nashyra]

26. Edwards will be hammered by the repukes

whether it is true or not and I do not believe it to be so, Edwards will have a big fat bullseye on his back for the repukes to hammer home every issue that has to do with trial lawyers. It will be "because of people like Edwards our health care is way up, our dr's are leaving, malpractice insurance is so high" and every other cost imaginable will be due to trial lawyers. There should never be two senators on the ticket. One is hard enough to defend because bi partisan governing requires and compromise and Kerry is getting hammered from the sound bite media for flip flopping. We can not afford Edwards on the ticket. AG for Edwards, his compassion and intelligence will reign supreme in comparison with the current idiot.

[DaveSZ]

28. John Edwards has "it"

You guys know what I'm talking about.

He has "it" in the same way that Teddy Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton had "it."

I predict he will be president some day even if Kerry doesn't win, and you can almost take that to the bank.