OCT 1 - 15, 2004

VOL. 2 ISSUE 19

OCTOBER 14, 2004 – He lacks just one thing:  foreign policy gravitas.

But if John Edwards goes on to be Vice President of the United States, that will be erased.  And what will be left is a man who is Clinton without the lies.  He is better looking than any President who has served, save maybe Andrew Jackson (gotta love that wavy-haired image on the 20 dollar bill.)

Edwards has it all, and all of it to the extreme.  He is not just mentally capable, but very, very intelligent.  He is not just charming, but downright in command of the ability to charm.  His brains never get in the way of his ability to connect.

And most importantly he is a man who knows how to determine what is important and keep his focus.  During the debates, if the topics were not what he wanted them to be, he would repeatedly talk about how the debates should talk more about health care or jobs or whatever he wanted to focus on – Kerry never did the same last night, letting topics like record high oil prices and the environment escape entirely.

Now at this point, Kerry is a far superior choice for President than Edwards.  Edwards would in no way have a chance, and truly he does not have the intricate knowledge and experience with regard to foreign affairs that Kerry has.

But that can be gained as VP.  And what Edwards has is something not one of the other three candidates can ever hope to muster, no matter how much coaching or experience they gain.  Only Edwards of the four actually understands and can talk to people.

The others can talk policy or recite talking points or push ideals and experience.

But Edwards, again and again, brings things back to ultimately the one thing that is the central topic of everything:  us.  The economy is about us, not some numbers.  The war in Iraq is about us.  Terrorism, health care, social security, they are not about policies that will or won’t work.  They are not things that affect people in general or some incomprehensible mass known as The American People.  These are all things that affect very specific people:  we, the American individuals. 

Surely Kerry and Bush and Dick (ah, so sad only a few more months to be able to call our Vice President “Dick” and not get in trouble for it) know enough to try and personalize their campaign rhetoric at times.

But only Edwards really exists in the realm of real people.  Edwards crosses north and south, male and female, and speaks – without pandering – to and for all races and ethnicities.  And he does it in a way that could be the textbook demonstration of the balance a politician strives to achieve.  He knows how to stay focused on the positive while not missing any chance to tear his opponent apart or strongly defend himself against unfair attacks, unlike others who either become all attack dog or wimpy little love-panderers.

He is motivated, aggressive, and self-promoting enough to be cold behind the scenes and take care of business, as when we caught him on C-Span during the primaries giving one of his volunteers the cold shoulder because she was cutting into his potential TV time.

He comes from the all-American family, has movie star looks, and a constant smile that is genuine and reassuring.

If Kerry hadn’t chosen him as his running mate, he would have been done forever in politics.  If he had been chosen as the Democratic candidate, he would have gotten trounced because of his lack of stature on the most important issues of the day, terrorism and foreign policy.

But a GOP that is about to be trounced by a man without a knack for charisma or connection better be very, very afraid.  Not only will their chances at the Presidency be next to nil, but their hold on the South, their lone strong point, will be in serious jeopardy.  After four or eight years of being in the loop and at the top of foreign policy decisions during a time of war, John Edwards will come out as an absolute nightmare for the Republican Party, making this year’s Kerry landslide seem like a close race in comparison to the Edwards victories that will come down the road.