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Tuesday, October 05, 2004
IS EDWARDS READY FOR HIS
CLOSE-UP? I've been lukewarm on John Edwards from the moment that
John Kerry chose him as his running mate. Back when the announcement
was made, I called Edwards "probably the best of some
not-so-great
choices." Nor was I crazy
about his speech
at the Democratic National Convention.
Tonight it's up to Edwards to keep
the momentum from last Thursday's debate moving in Kerry's direction.
On the face of it, he should have an easier time than Joe Lieberman
did four years ago. Back then, to the extent that Dick Cheney was a
known quantity, he was generally well-regarded for the job he had
done as secretary of defense during the first Gulf War. Now he comes
with some pretty heavy baggage.
Among other things, Cheney has
earned a reputation as perhaps the most untruthful member of the Bush
administration, lying to Tim Russert about his Halliburton
compensation package (see "Whopper
No. 7" specifically) and
lying to the American people about the (nonexistent) ties between Al
Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. And when Cheney's not lying, he's running
around telling people that a vote for Kerry is a vote for Osama bin
Laden. Cheney, to most observers' surprise, beat Lieberman handily by
projecting an air of cool, business-like confidence. There's no way
that Cheney should come out of tonight's debate the
winner.
Is Edwards up for it? In today's
Boston Globe, Peter Canellos has a pretty
smart analysis of what was
wrong with the Edwards pick. Canellos argues that, at first, it
appeared to be an inspired choice. But as Kerry came under fire for
his service in Vietnam, of all things, Edwards's sunny disposition
suddenly seemed not nearly as important as the fact that he is an
inexperienced, first-term senator with virtually no background in
foreign policy or military affairs. In such a changed environment,
Canellos writes, Wesley Clark or Dick Gephardt might have been a
better choice, since either would have been able credibly to defend
Kerry rather than forcing Kerry to do the job himself.
So what should Edwards do tonight?
I think he simply needs to remember two things. First, it's not about
him, it's about Kerry. So he should forget his Mr. Nice Guy persona
and be prepared to go deeply negative. Second, he's one of the best
trial lawyers in the country. He should look at Dick Cheney the way
he would look at the defendant in one of the medical-malpractice
suits that made him rich and famous, and regard the viewers back home
as though they were the jury. Moderator Gwen Ifill might make it
difficult for him to do that. But Edwards needs to find a
way.
And by the way, if you haven't read
it yet, be sure to check out Curtis Wilkie's piece in the Sunday
Globe on how Edwards fits in to the tradition of
progressive
Southern trial lawyers.
Good stuff from a guy who really understands the South.
posted at 11:57 AM |
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Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
