July 4, 2004
WHY WOULD HE?:
The Note (ABC News, 7/04/04)
Over the last few weeks, Sen. Kerry has had many more face-to-face meetings with potential picks than the press has reported.One such meeting, several well-informed sources say, took place last Thursday night.
Kerry was in his home in Georgetown, and at around 10:30 pm, the last reporter staking him out -- someone from ABC News -- appeared to leave for the night.
Our sources say that Kerry and his Secret Service agents then went the very short distance to the nearby home of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Albright is a supporter of Kerry and has her office now in the same office building in Washington as the Kerry campaign.
At Albright's house late Thursday night, Kerry had a meeting with just a small group of people -- one of whom, our sources say, seemed to be the person Kerry at that moment planned to pick as his running mate.
Although Kerry said as recently as yesterday that he has not made a decision, our sources believe that this meeting might have served as the final face-to-face session the future running mates will have before announcement day, which could be as soon as this Tuesday.
Of the three potential picks whose advisers have confirmed have handed over reams of background information and believe themselves to be still in the running , there's only one we think was in DC that night -- Dick Gephardt. Tom Vilsack's staff says he was in Iowa and John Edwards, like many great Americans, was at Disney World with his family.
Other options -- Senator Joseph Biden, former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, well, we are still checking to pin down where they were on Thursday night.
Granted that he's run the worst presidential campaign of modern times, but it's still awfully hard to believe that the Senator has made the worst possible choice for a running mate, one who adds precisely nothing to the ticket while suggesting that Labor got to dictate the pick. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 4, 2004 6:22 PM
Please Lord, let him pick Halfbright -- but isn't she a naturalized citizen and therefore not eligible to be President?
Posted by: AML at July 4, 2004 7:38 PMI agree with others that it really doesn't matter since Richardson isn't going to be the choice. Every other choice mentioned has limited benefit to improving Kerry's chances. Gephardt, as stated before, would seem to be the safe pick to try and get a respectable result and not a blowout.
Posted by: AWW at July 4, 2004 7:59 PMHe has no choice. To have any chance at all, he needs the labor money and organization. If he doesn't pick Gephart, labor's support is only lukewarm, and he loses big.
Posted by: jd watson at July 4, 2004 9:16 PMIn a minute there is time, For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
Are you sure about that, OJ? The other potential picks might not be any better. Tom Vilsack sucks, and while John Edwards might be a very good veep pick, Kerry won't pick him because his overweening ego won't allow him to pick a guy who will steal his spotlight.
Posted by: Matt at July 5, 2004 3:02 AMMatt:
Vilsack and Edwards are at least ciphers though--Gephardt's voting record is an anchor around his neck.
Posted by: oj at July 5, 2004 8:46 AMKerry's VP pick will show how weak the Dem bench is. Vilsack has no experience. Edwards has little more but theoretically could help Dems in the South. Richardson might have helped with Hispanics but has some Clinton baggage. Hillary would energize the right even more than the left. Gephardt will help with the unions (perhaps Kerry is going for the 11 state strategy - win CA and the big midwestern states and nowhere else) but won't help in the South, with minorities, was for the Iraq war and served in the Natioanal Guard during Vietnam (which blunts Kerry on these issues), is protectionist, and has OJ notes has a long voting record to dissect. Other choices would be out of left field and probably hard to explain. As I said above Gephardt will help Kerry stay competitive in the Midwest but that's about it.
Posted by: AWW at July 5, 2004 11:24 AMMickey Kaus seems to think that Zinni might have been in D.C. as well?
Posted by: "Edward" at July 5, 2004 12:00 PMEdward:
I stand corrected--there is a worse choice, an unvetted anti-Semite who's never run for office and both voted for Bush in 2000 and has said he might again in '04.
Posted by: oj at July 5, 2004 12:08 PMWesley Clark!!!
Al Sharpton!!!
Dennis Kucinich!!! (Is he still running for prez?)
Carol Mosely-Braun!!!!
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at July 5, 2004 2:28 PM