A Kerry-Edwards ticket in the works?

THE DEMOCRATIC wing of the Democratic party was very quiet last night. As expected, Howard Dean, the ex-governor of Vermont who is trying to rebuild credibility, was subdued. But all the men who would replace President George W. Bush were subdued. Maybe it was the questions, maybe it was fatigue, or maybe it was just fear of suffering a Dean-like Iowa moment in New Hampshire. But there was little fight in or between the candidates in Manchester.

Is a Kerry-Edwards ticket already in the works? Being positive, the hallmark of John Edwards's presidential campaign, is one thing. Auditioning so publicly for vice president is another. That's what the senator from North Carolina seemed to be doing from the first question posed to him, regarding his vote for the Iraq war resolution but against the $87 billion that President Bush sought afterwards.

"We voted this way," he said, offering a joint explanation of his and Kerry's actions on those two matters.

Later, asked if he agreed with Kerry's vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, passed prior to his own election to the Senate, Edwards said, "I think he was right."

If a Kerry-Edwards ticket does materialize, both will have to work on their debating technique. It was the first question, so some leeway for jitters is only fair, but Kerry did not give a particularly sharp answer when asked how he would defend his record of voting for tax increases.

Kerry is eloquent when he talks about returning from Vietnam and leading veterans in protest, but when he says, "I will never conduct a war or start a war because we want to, only because we have to," the same old question arises: Then, why vote for the Iraq war resolution?

Wesley Clark shot himself in the foot too many times last night. He badly handled the question of why he did not challenge filmmaker Michael Moore's description of George W. Bush as a "deserter" while accepting Moore's endorsement. His explanation for an opinion piece he wrote praising Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair for their actions in Iraq was also weak.

Dean retrieved some of his old spirit late in the debate. Asked whether Americans want a president who leads with his heart, a description Dean recently applied to himself, he talked about leading with his heart when it comes to social justice, but tempering it with fiscal conservatism.

Then he made a point that is being ignored in the current debate over temperment and electability: "We are not going to beat George Bush by being like him . . . we want a country for all of us." To get it, he said, you have to "lead with your heart."

Five days before the New Hampshire primary, this party is too afraid of heart. It is way too busy counting electoral votes.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com.