Veep and Cabinet

By Aziz P. -
Absolutely brilliant thread at Kos hashing out the Veepstakes. I share Kos' disquiet at the fact that none of the contenders are non-white non-males, but this seems to be the hand we are dealt. Keeping in mind that the soonest Kerry will announce a VP is at least a week or two after June 30th's handover in Iraq, so the media oxygen has refreshed, this is all hypothetical, but here's my current leanings:

VP - John Edwards. Edwards came through the primaries with almost no mud clinging, media-invented or otherwise. The discussion on Gephardt recently has pointed towards the Labor support, but that's largely illusory. Rockefeller has also been proposed because he would help deliver West virginia, but I don't think two patricians on the ticket will be tenable, it's just too "old guard". Edwards, in addition to delivering South Carolina, brings true life to the party - he has a real knack for the populist appeal and can reach out to disaffected voters in ways that Kerry cannot. Edwards is yound, he is articulate, and he speaks directly to you, not at you - and he would represent a real personification of the Future for the party and the Nation. We need to be forward-looking, and present to America a glimpse of where we want to go - not where we have been.

Homeland Security - Gary Hart. There is no other choice, absolutely none.

Secretary of State - Bill Clinton. Bring back the Big Dog.

Secretary of Defense - Joe Biden. We need a principled hawk.

Secretary of Labor - Gephardt, of course.

I'm pretty soft on all of this so I'm eager to hear your own rationales...

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