More Gephardt Knocks

All this veep talk, of course, is a waste of time. Those who know what's going on aren't talking and those talking don't know what's going on. Still, there's a certain amount of entertainment in valueless prognostication. So, with that understanding let's dive in.

Matthew Yglesias explains why Gephardt would be a miserable failure as the number two man. There are couple of reasons. Gephardt doesn't balance Kerry's resume; Kerry "has no need to bring an experienced, sober-looking veteran of political conflict like Gephardt onto the ticket to reassure voters." Gephardt's voting record is longer than Kerry's and would offer a windfall to an opponent desperate for ammunition. Leaving aside the inevitable distortion of his record at the hands of the GOP, Gephardt has done a decent enough job on his own of choosing inconsistent positions for perceived political gain. Gephardt's poor showing in his brief primary run amply demonstrates his lack of resonance even on issues for which he's supposedly known. All of which raises the question of Gephardt's ability to Missouri much less Ohio.

For pure electoral considerations, Yglesias prefers Edwards to Gephardt. Smiling John would seem to offer as much value in Ohio as Gephardt and Edwards would certainly seem to be more helpful in surprisingly close North Carolina.

But for those of you hankering for a Heartlands veep have no fear. Iowa governor Tom Vilsack continues to be mentioned in all the press as among the "top three." And a name I had not previously heard was mentioned today: Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius. I don't know anything about her. Her short bio also is short on specifics. For a man with a Washington resume as lengthy as Kerry's, an unknown mid-western woman governor might be just the ticket.