John² - More of the Same

So John Kerry has picked John Edwards as his running mate. To be honest, I don't know much about John Edwards, other than that he's a one-term senator from South Carolina, and that before being a senator he was a personal-injury lawyer.

And isn't that the problem with "the Johns?"

Just what have they accomplished as politicians? Who really knows?

Neither have legislative accomplishments to speak of. Neither have any executive experience. Neither, as far as I know, has distinguished himself in his political career in any significant way. (Well, perhaps John Kerry has distinguished himself by having the most liberal voting record in the entire U.S. Senate).

Is this a pair, either of which you would want leading our nation's foreign policy or serving as commander-in-chief of our military at a time when the dangers facing our nation are so extreme?

Neither have any foreign policy credentials worth mentioning. Yes, as we have all been reminded time and time again, John Kerry served in Vietnam, but his short experience there hardly makes him uniquely qualified to command our entire military. Actually, the fact that he was so vehemently against U.S. military involvement around the world, and his later voting record in the Senate (where he opposed many, many important weapons programs that have helped maintain our military advantage), give me the impression that John Kerry isn't someone that we ought to trust to be commander-in-chief.

From my point of view, it appears that all John Edwards brings to the Democratic Party ticket is a pretty face that, to some degree, helps to alleviate the stifling blandness and New England up-tightness of John Kerry. In that respect only, John Edwards is a good choice.

Seriously, how can anyone in good faith support Edwards as a vice-presidential candidate?

The vice president must be prepared to step in and take up the responsibilities and duties of the presidency should the president be in some way unable to perform those duties. Is a one-term senator with no executive or military experience at all ready for that? It seems to me that the answer is clearly and unequivocally, "No!"

This is doubly true in our current generation. The War on Terror is the defining issue of our times. If we fail in our current mission to transform the Middle East from an incubator of extremist Islam and the primary source of the deadly terrorism plaguing the world, into a region that is home to democratically-governed nations that respect human rights and oppose terrorism, our nation will be at risk of attacks much more serious than even the 9/11/2001 attacks. It is a job that cannot be left to men with no executive experience; men that have not shown any foreign policy or strategic vision, other than "we'll do better than George Bush."

Obviously, I was not at all a fan of John Kerry before he announced his choice for vice president. The choice he has made, though, has again confirmed my opposition to him. John Edwards is just not a serious candidate. He is far too lacking in legislative, military and executive experience for the position he is seeking. By choosing John Edwards, John Kerry has shown that he doesn't understand the seriousness and gravity of the position of the position he is seeking. He should not be entrusted with the presidency of the United States of America.

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