Edwards Q&A

Dietlind asked:

> What do think about the nomination of Edwards as
> prospect vice-president, will he be advantagous
> for Kerry, or is he just an actor?

and I thought other readers might be interested in my answer, so here it is:

I like a lot of things about Edwards - he's very charismatic and a genuine populist, someone who will work for the poor and downtrodden. I like that he's from the South - it puts the Republicans on guard, because they like to think of the racist South as "their turf". But it's really John Edwards' turf, so while I still expect the South to go largely to Bush, I think they will have to spend money and time there to ensure that, and I think we may pick up a couple of states from the region.

I don't like the fact that he supported the Iraq war resolution (as did Kerry, as did all the likely Vice Presidential nominees). Maybe it is necessary, politically, to have a ticket of people who were pro-war, and if that is the price we have to pay to oust Bush, I can accept it - but I would be much, much happier to have candidates who had taken the right stand on the war from the beginning. But only if they were to win. I really want to think that my country could elect such people, but I really have my doubts. We have a lot to fix in the US.