Edwards, the anti-CheneyPage 2 of 2 -- However, skeptics are hard to find on political convention floors. Democratic delegates love Edwards. There is no question his speech turned on the FleetCenter crowd, from beginning to picture-perfect ending, when his family joined him on the stage. Everyone left hip-hop happy, headed to parties and hotels after a send-off from ''Black Eyed Peas.''
A one-on-one debate with Cheney is another matter. For all Edwards's oratorical skill and for all of Cheney's churlishness, debates are different animals than keynote speeches to adoring, true-believers. During the Democratic primary season, Edwards never showed any ability or willingness to go for the jugular. He also stumbled more than once, showing a lack of depth and knowledge on different issues. His resume is thin, and his record in the US Senate is thinner. It all helps to explain why Kerry, not Edwards, tops the Democratic ticket. For all the hype, Edwards never caught a wave that could carry him past Kerry. In Iowa, Edwards finished second; in New Hampshire, he finished third, behind Kerry and Howard Dean. That was when the Kerry campaign was pretty certain Edwards would never be able to overtake the Massachusetts senator. Wesley Clark, the retired general from Arkansas, helped the Kerry cause by siphoning Southern votes from Edwards in subsequent primaries. The national campaign presents different challenges. Edwards clearly plays an important role in Kerry's plan for winning the White House. Picturing John and Elizabeth Edwards celebrating their wedding anniversary each year at Wendy's is entirely plausible and exactly the kind of common touch John and Teresa Heinz Kerry lack. The Southern accent will be welcomed in many parts of the country. Head-to-head with Cheney? Halliburton and the postwar mess in Iraq are definite drags for the incumbent vice president. But who is more apt to frighten a terrorist by threatening, as Edwards did, ''We will destroy you''? Does Osama bin Laden fear trial lawyers, even one whose father worked in a mill? Kerry, the presidential nominee, is the grown-up, the man of stature and experience whom voters must trust with national defense and security. If Kerry can't win that trust, President Bush has a shot at reelection. In that case, four years from now, Edwards will be giving Hillary Rodham Clinton heart palpitations in the next Democratic race for the White House.
Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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