The Presidency first, the country second

David Broder perfectly echoes my opinion of Kerry’s decision: “The choice had everything to do with Mission One, winning the election, and precious little to do with governing the nation.” As DB notes, having a qualified vice-president is a secondary goal to Kerry.

And the WashPost main editorial today notes: “Yet lacking the ability to perform such political alchemy, we must also assess Mr. Edwards on his own and by the grave question that has to be asked of any vice presidential nominee: Is he ready to assume the presidency? This is a question that, since Sept. 11, 2001, has become both more thinkable and more important -- and it's one that, when it comes to Mr. Edwards, we can't yet answer with a resounding affirmative.”