VP Poker



It seems fair to say that John Kerry will be the Democratic nominee for President. While Edwards' surge last night in Wisconsin created a buzz, he still only came in second. It is true he will do well in Georgia, but New York and California, the two biggest prizes remaining , are clearly in Kerry's column. Now keery has to start thinking about who to select as his Vice Presidential candidate. Frankly, i can't see how anyone can add much to the ticket. look at the top choices:



John Edwards-- Sure he's popular among Democrats, but his biggest appeal would be the possibility of making inroads in the South. Unfortunately for him, the South is solidly Bush country. He couldn't even carry his home state.



Howard Dean--Okay. He's not even a remote possibility. I just wanted to mention that the kook finally got the message that it's over. Everybody now: Sha na na, na na na...



Hillary Clinton--She might help create wider margins of victory in states Kerry will already win, but won't add any new ones into the wins column. One suspectsshe doesn't want Kerry to win, leaving the field open for 2008. I can't pictue her playing second fiddle (again) until 2012.



Max Cleland--War hero, as far as De,ocrats are concerned. He actually lost his limbs in a non-combat accident. Still, he couldn't carry Georgia in his Senate reelection campaign, so forget any leeway in the South.



Bob Graham--Florida is the only southern state that is competitive, but no one is enthusiastic about Graham.



Dick Gephardt--Might please the unions, but they'll vote Democrat regardless of who runs. Plus age is a factor. After missing out on the Presidency twice and never being House Speaker, playing second fiddle can't be appealing.



Bill Richardson--He's Hispanic, which is a huge block of votes. The problem is that Hispanic voters often espuse traditional Catholic values, which is more in tune with conservatives. Regardless, I think curently Richardson has got to be the top choice.



The only thing certain at this point is the uncertainty. Would anyone have said Dick Cheney and Joe Leiberman in 2000? Who saw that coming?