Since Barack Obama wrapped up the Democratic nomination nearly 1.5 months ago, the campaign has been searching for the best person to fill the lower half of the ticket.  Names have surfaced in the media.  Some have made "Sherman" statements, while others have been more coy than others about any potential interest.

So while the Obama team goes through the vetting process, I'd like to be another person in a long line of people to recommend a name that has appeared to be on the list.  It is a name we are all familiar with yet aren't sure what role this person should be in.  Today, I'd like to make the case for John Edwards.

(This is actually a repost from some months ago, but I put so much time into hunting down the appropriate photos, I decided to repost it; besides, I'm depressed about not being able to make it to NN this year, so I wanted to post something light to cheer myself--and perhaps others--up a bit)

Several months back, Canadian Noise posted an Oscar-themed diary which speculated on the casting for a filmed version of the 2008 Presidential race.

Unfortunately, the diary didn’t get much notice, but I thought it was such a fun idea that I ran with it, and came up with the following. The only rule I made for myself is to take it seriously—no cartoon characters, no dead actors; all of the choices have to be current, professional film or TV actors. Feel free to toss your own ideas into the ring; I know that I’m way off on at least some of my choices, but what the hell...

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the second-tier possibilities for Obama's v.p., from my new slimmed-down field of 28.

This elimination series will begin with the bottom 14 names, then eliminate the bottom vote-getter(s) and replace them with new names from just up the list for the next thread, reaveraging as we go (so each thread's bottom vote-getter(s) may not be the ones cut for the next--who's cut will be determined by the new averages generated from this elimination series's votes). I hope that'll be complicated enough to dissatisfy and confuse everyone equally. I'm hoping we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is. It should take about 14 threads to get all of the top candidates in the poll again, out of the 28 or so total threads.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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Earlier today, Al Gore gave a speech on energy policy, reports CNN.  Not surprisingly, in reporting this news item, CNN cannot resist digging up an old smear against Gore:

Gore's return to the political arena has drawn increased scrutiny, particularly of his energy use. In 2007, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research chastised Gore for "extravagant energy use" at his Nashville, Tennessee, mansion.

Excerpted from the Midnight Oil

What do you do when you are a Congressional candidate ... your Presidential candidate is campaigning on the basis of Potemkin Energy policies like drilling for an extra 100,000 barrels of oil a day starting a decade from now (when a Saudi announcement of an extra 500,000 barrels later this year did not move prices by any discernable amount) ... and a gas tax holiday ...

... especially when in the last contentious Ohio State highway funding fight, you as the Republican voted for Governor Taft's gas tax hike, and your Democratic opponent voted against it?

Simple: you lie.

Well, of course, this is a Republican candidate for Congress we are talking about here ... you don't lie yourself, you have an "independent group" with a name like Freedom's Watch lie for you.

Can the AP be trusted anymore?  In a word: No!!  A bombshell broke a while ago.  It's been reported that Ron Fournier, who is now the AP Washington bureau chief, was emailing Karl Rove over Pat Tillman's death.  What was discussed between them should shred any credibility the Associated Press has left.

Last Wednesday, I saw John Edwards speak at the Yorkville Common Pantry, a food pantry and soup kitchen in Harlem.  After walking into the building, I found myself in the back of a small press conference, just a few feet from Edwards.  The beginning of the press conference started out as expected -- he talked about Half in Ten, his anti-poverty campaign to reduce poverty in America by half within the next ten years, and praised the food pantry for their work in New York City.  But after his five minute speech, when it was time for questions from the press, the subject quickly turned away from poverty.

Although Edwards tried his best to talk about poverty, the press just didn't seem to care.  Instead, their questions focused almost exclusively on the presidential campaign.  If Obama offers you a position as attorney general, will you take it?  Is it mere coincidence that you're in New York City within 48 hours of Obama and Clinton's joint appearance here?  Do you think that Obama is moving towards the center, and do you support that?

I've seen quite a few comments and diaries and blog entries and columns and talking heads say that Hillary Clinton deserves to be the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee because 8 million people voted for her in the primary.  I've seen the same argument made, though much less frequently, about John Edwards and his third place finish.

Well, I'm hear to tell you as an Edwards delegate candidate who endorsed Hillary after Edwards dropped out, bullshit.

When I put my name on the ballot to be a delegate for John Edwards it was so he could be President, making the big decisions and leading our country to a new era of progressivism.  It was not so he could be the Vice President, live in the Naval Observatory and attend a lot of funerals.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the top 13 average vote-getting possibilities for Obama's v.p. in average votes over all of these threads' polls, plus Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), who I think needs another round of voting to get a good average before I cut the field down.

Next thread I'm going to narrow the field from three to two tiers of 14--if Obama hasn't decided by then. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers, so maybe we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is. It should take about 14 threads to get all of the top candidates in the poll again of the 28 or so total threads in this elimination series.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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No, John Edwards is not raising money to stop poverty by performing marriage ceremonies, but he did influence me,  and his advice directly led to me meeting my wife.

At his homecoming rally in December of 2006 John Edwards told us -

"don't wait for the next president to be elected to do something, get involved now"

So I got involved. I organized for Edwards in Colorado and started making connections with people and later, when he asked us, I went to protest Bush's vetoed war funding bill on May 2nd 2006 at our state capitol in Colorado. As luck (or fate) would have it, I ran into someone (the Coach) who I had spoken to once, a year earlier, who offered me my own radio show slot in the Denver market. (with zero experience)
And as luck (or fate) would have it, I had heard John and Elizabeth Edwards talk about the importance of Unions as the backbone of the middle class, so I started reaching out to local unions and union supporters...
(keep reading, I swear there is a wedding in here)

President Clinton:

I have always been a fan of yours; you inspired me from an early age to get involved in politics. You made me realize that being a Democrat was the correct choice. You got me excited about politics and made me realize that I wanted to be in politics someday. In short you were my political idol. I thought you were a great President and realized that triangulation was something that was done because it was needed. We had a very hostile, conservative Congress for you to deal with and you did the best you could with them, and did beautifully. I really only disagreed with a handful if your decisions and it was a very odd feeling when you left office because in a sense you were the only president I knew, the only one that I could remember.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the the top gubernatorial possibilities for Obama's v.p. in average votes over all of these threads' polls. I decided to include Wesley Clark, Max Cleland, Al Gore, Joe Sestak and Anthony Zinni as well, since they have also had top-level executive experience in some governmental role (and to fill out the poll!).

I'm going to do one more thread polling the top candidates' overall before cutting names to narrow the field to two tiers of 14--if Obama hasn't decided by then. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers, so maybe we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

(continued below the fold)

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the the top 12 possibilities for Obama's v.p. in average votes over all of these threads' polls. 12 instead of 14 because of a three-way tie for thirteenth place, and because I want to work in Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), the most plausible candidate I haven't polled yet.

I'll alternate "break-out" polls with the top average vote-getting candidates for two more threads after this. I'm going to do the top governors/former governors and one more top candidates' thread before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to two tiers of 14--if Obama hasn't decided by then. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers, so maybe we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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These are dark days to be a liberal blogger.

If you're not pissed off about FISA or any other of the numerous controversies that have been swirling, than you're pissed off over the uproar. You know things are getting bad when you find yourself nostalgic for the primary campaign or at least the one week window where unity not only seemed possible but actually seemed to be occuring.

Senator Obama is in a bit of a hole right now, some of it of his own digging. There is no quick, easy fix for his problems with the progressive wing of the party but there is something he can do as a gesture, a symbolic tip of the hat in their direction

Follow me below the jump.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll be polling the the top possibilities for Obama's v.p. with experience in foreign policy/national security. I did not include state chief executives, who are commanders-in-chief of their states' National Guards, but who will be considered separately in two threads' time.

I'm still alternating "break-out" polls with the top 14 average vote-getting candidates in these threads' polls, averaging in each day's votes as we go. I'm going to do the top governors/former governors before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to just two tiers--that's if Obama hasn't decided by then, of course. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers of 14. So that'll start three more threads away from today.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

(continued below the fold)

Hello all,

I just got this in my email and thought I would let Kossacks know what Edwards has been up to in his quest to reduce poverty. You can join for information on the project. He wants to reduce poverty by 50 percent in 10 years.

Well, I just went out for lunch and turned on NPR as I made my drive back from the local pizza parlour. During an interview, the interviewer asked John Edwards a simple and direct question.

Roughly paraphrasing as best as I can recall from verbal memory: "Would you, if asked, accept the VP spot on Obama's ticket"

Trei Brundrett is a Democratic activist and super-techie from Texas who traveled to Iowa in early 2004 to help the Howard Dean for President campaign.  The following interview was completed as part of research for Netroots Rising on July 25, 2007.

In Iowa, I didn't go with the Texas Rangers, I went on my own a week before the caucus and stayed until the day after the caucus. I connected  online with people that were going to be there but I didn't know anyone with the campaign there. There were some people from New Mexico that we knew from canvassing before.