From NRO's The Corner:
Dear Friend,
In just a few minutes, I will announce that Senator John Edwards will join me as my running-mate on the Democratic ticket as a candidate for vice president of the United States. Teresa and I could not be more excited that John and Elizabeth Edwards will be our partners in our journey to make America stronger at home and respected in the world.
You are the heart and soul of our campaign. You've shattered records and expectations every step of the way. Every time someone said you couldn't do it, you proved them wrong. Because of your incredible grassroots energy and commitment, I wanted to make the first official announcement of my decision to you -- more than one million online supporters at johnkerry.com.
I want you to know why I'm excited about running for president with John Edwards by my side. John understands and defends the values of America. He has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class. In the Senate, he worked to reform our intelligence, to combat bioterrorism, and keep our military strong. John reaches across party lines and speaks to the heart of America -- hope and optimism. Throughout his own campaign for President, John spoke about the great divide in this country -- the "Two Americas" -- that exist between those who are doing well today and those that are struggling to make it from day to day. And I am so proud that we're going to build one America together.
In the next 120 days and in the administration that follows, John Edwards and I will be fighting for the America we love. We'll be fighting to give the middle class a voice by providing good paying jobs and affordable health care. We'll be fighting to make America energy independent. We'll be fighting to build a strong military and lead strong alliances, so young Americans are never put in harm's way because we insisted on going it alone.
I can't tell you how proud I am to have John Edwards on my team, or how eager I am for the day this fall when he stands up for our vision and goes toe-to-toe with Dick Cheney.
This is the most important election of our lifetime, and a defining moment in our history. With you by our side every day of this campaign, John and I will lead the most spirited presidential campaign America has ever seen and fight to lead our nation in a new and better direction.
Thank you,
John Kerry
Matt's Chat
I should point out that the New York Post is calling it for Gephardt, but I think that was a ruse...If it is Gephardt after all (which I don't think it is; I mean, dude couldn't even get the labor vote out in Iowa and he was the Big Labor Candidate), that would be huge for the Bush campaign. Edwards, in my opinion was always the best choice for the Party of Lovetm...
3:00PM Update
NRO Cornerite Barbara Comstock:Couldn't have said it better myself...
This is the "all special interest ticket". The #1 senator in special-interest contributions has chosen the #1 special interest: trial lawyers.
Mark's Remarks
As we all know by now, the Dim VP candidate is John Edwards. Again, John Kerry goes with image over substance. These two guys hate each other, I mean they really don't like one another at all, but they are willing to sacrifice anything, including personal values, for the sake of power.
This choice does not ultimately help John Kerry. He picked someone just as liberal as he is. Sure, Edwards may have a hick accent and he might be able to pine very well on a farm, but the fact is that Edwards has just as much of a core problem as Kerry. Both are very liberal, and both do not want to acknowledge that we are at war. Like the entire dimocrapic party, it seems, they want to pretend that we are not in a war for the shaping of the future, to preserve civilization. They feed us smoke and mirrors about the economy, when the facts show the economy on the rise.
On the important issue of terrorism, the Dims say they WANT MORE TROOPS (40,000 MORE) and they want to go after the people responsible for killing Americans. How is this different from Bush? Sounds like same language.
Which brings me back to Edwards. This guy has nothing but a pretty face to offer the party. Remember when Edwards was on meet the press about a year ago? He was (and remains) a foreign policy buffoon. The man kept calling for needed leadership on the issues, and this is when he was wanting to be President. Gee, Senator Edwards, if you want to be the Man, shouldn't you put forth how you WOULD SHOW leadership instead of simply saying we needed some? Or are you going to revert to your old ways and simply sue people on foreign policy issues?
This ticket is one of the most heavily beholden to special interests, and I predict that if they were to win they would have more scandals than Grant's Teapot Dome.
