Kerry Picks (Bilderberg Invitee) Edwards
to Be Running Mate
Associated
Press | July 6 2004
Comment: We told you that Edwards would be
the choice over a month ago. How did we know? Well, we didn't have a crystal
ball, we just looked at who was invited to the Bilderberg conference.
FLASHBACK:
U.S. Sen. John Edwards at Bilderberg
Another exmple of how Bilderberg has no influence
over American politics and anyone who thinks otherwise is with bin Laden
and McVeigh, according to the BBC.
FLASHBACK:
BBC: If You Think Bilderberg Has Power You're With McVeigh and Bin Laden
--------------------------------
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry selected
former rival John Edwards to be his running mate, picking the smooth-talking
Southern populist over more seasoned politicians in hopes of injecting vigor
and small-town appeal to the Democratic presidential ticket, The Associated
Press learned Tuesday.
Kerry offered Edwards the No. 2 spot on the Democratic
ticket in a telephone call Tuesday morning, and the North Carolina senator
accepted, said two senior Democrats familiar with the conversation.
Kerry planned to announce his pick by e-mail to supporters,
then at a rally in Pittsburgh.
Edwards was the last major candidate standing against Kerry
in the Democratic presidential race. He emerged as a favorite second choice
of Democratic voters, thanks to his youthful good looks, a self-assured
manner and an upbeat, optimistic style. He saved his harshest criticism
for President Bush, who he accused of creating "two Americas"
- one for the privileged, another for everyone else.
Some Democrats were concerned that Edwards, whose only
political credential was a single term in the Senate, lacked the experience
in international affairs, particularly in wartime, to be a credible candidate
to assume the presidency in the case of death, resignation or removal.
Indeed, Kerry privately complained to associates during
the campaign that Edwards hadn't served long enough in the Senate - or politics
for that matter - to deserve a shot at the presidency. Aides said he was
won over by his private meetings with Edwards, his performance as a campaign
surrogate since the primary fight ended and pressure from Democratic leaders
who pushed Edwards as a vice presidential pick.
Edwards seldom criticized Kerry or any of the other Democrats
while running a generally positive campaign. The two had few major policy
disagreements - both supported the decision to go to war in Iraq, for example,
and both voted against the $87 billion package for Iraq and Afghanistan.
One division was over the North American Free Trade Agreement:
Kerry voted for it, but Edwards campaigned against NAFTA, which the Senate
approved before he was elected. Edwards made trade, jobs and the economy
the centerpiece of his campaign, questioning Kerry's vote on NAFTA but not
pledging to seek its repeal.
They also differed in some ways on how to approach some
issues. Both called for rolling back the Bush tax cuts, but Kerry proposed
eliminating the tax cuts for those who make more than $200,000 a year while
Edwards set the ceiling at $240,000. Kerry voted against the ban on so-called
"partial birth" abortion passed by Congress, but Edwards did not
vote. A more clear-cut difference was Kerry's opposition to the death penalty
and Edwards' support of it.
Kerry finished first and Edwards second in the Iowa caucuses
in January, surprising front-runner Howard Dean and driving regional favorite
Dick Gephardt out of the race. Dean finished second to Kerry in the New
Hampshire primary, and as Dean lost the next dozen delegate contests, the
race became a contest between Kerry and Edwards.
Yet Edwards could never muster enough momentum to overtake
his Senate colleague. He won only a single state during the competitive
phase of the primary, his native South Carolina, and ended his bid following
the 10-state Super Tuesday elections on March 2. North Carolina gave Edwards
a victory in its first presidential caucus on April 17, but the vote meant
more as a boost to his standing at the Democratic National Convention and
to his potential as a running mate.
Edwards, 51, was born in Seneca, S.C., and grew up in Robbins,
N.C. His father was a mill worker, and he announced his presidential campaign
from the factory, then closed, where his father had worked and where he
had swept floors to earn money for college. He earned a bachelor's degree
from North Carolina State University in 1974 and a law degree from the University
of North Carolina in 1977.
