For his running mate in the 2004 Presidential election, John Kerry would have been wise to pick Dick Gephardt. A solid, respected, experienced man who appeals to voters on both sides of the aisle, Gephardt would have brought with him a great deal of union support (the rank-and-file, not the fat-cat union bosses who think they have Democratic politicians in their pockets while the politicians think the same about them). He might have picked Governor Tom Vilsack, with his years of experience in the executive branch of government. Either one would likely have brought with him at least one midwestern state, where the votes just might decide this election. Instead, Kerry chose to cast his lot with a slick-talking trial lawyer who couldn't even carry his home state in the Democratic primary elections.

What does Kerry think Edwards might bring to his campaign? Does he think the soft Carolina drawl and smug good looks will remind voters of Bill Clinton? So many pundits are cooing over Edwards' appeal to women that female voters should be insulted. Democrats seem to think of them of as nothing more than walking hormone factories with the inexplicable ability to vote. Women, it is believed, will vote for the "prettiest" candidate without doing all that nasty thinking about his policies or experience. Contrary to Democrat opinion, women do think. Just like men, they're thinking, "Is this man really ready to be Vice-President of the United States?"

During the Democratic primaries, Kerry attacked Edwards for not being experienced enough to run for office. Asked by a young woman at an event in Des Moines why she should vote for him instead of Edwards, Kerry said, "When I came home from Vietnam in 1969, I don't know if John Edwards was out of diapers then yet or not, I'm totally not sure. I don't know." John Edwards' entire political career consists of less than one term as a junior Senator. He decided not to seek reelection, possibly due to voter dissatisfaction over his abysmal attendance record. Edwards missed 32% of the votes in 2003 (90% in September alone), while Kerry missed a whopping 60% during the course of the year. (Note that President Bush is expected to be President 100% of the time while campaigning, vacationing or even sleeping.) During his short time in the Senate, Edwards introduced precisely zero bills that made the passage into law. That's it -- that's his entire political resume. His appeal on the campaign consists of a smooth line of patter, a wide smile and "better hair."

When asked by a reporter how John Edwards stacked up against current Vice President Dick Cheney, President Bush snapped right back, "Dick Cheney can be President. Next." Think about that for a second.

What is the job, the real job, of the Vice President? Besides presiding over the Senate -- a sure cure for insomnia -- his or her job is to be ready to step in and take over the country in the event of the President's death or incapacitation. In the best of times, that's an awesome and heavy responsibility to bear. In wartime, the most likely scenario for such a change would be the assassination of the President, with America in a state of chaos. In the kind of fight we face today, the Vice President may need to take over and run the United States smoothly in the midst of economic and social upheaval and fear the likes of which have never been seen before. The slightest mistake could cause a crash -- economic or otherwise -- from which the country would take decades to recover. What would an inexperienced politician like John Edwards do when faced with sole responsibility for America at war during a new terrorist attack, perhaps with weapons of mass destruction, with the President and thousands or tens of thousands of Americans dead in their own homes or places of business, and with no way to tell when or where the next strike will hit? What good will his smile and slick talk do any of us then? Who's he going to sue?

For that matter, what life experience makes John Kerry think he's capable of running any country, much less the United States of America? What experience does he have at running anything at all? Was he the mayor of even a small town? Has he been governor of even a small state? How about a list of the companies he has personally run as CEO? Has he managed a professional baseball team, or even coached Little League? Has he even been a board member of the local PTA? Kerry's entire list of qualifications (besides being in a war thirty years ago for a few months) consists of taking up one side of every issue, then the other, then maybe switching back to the first. Neither Kerry nor Edwards is qualified to run a hot-dog cart, much less the most powerful country on Earth. It would be equivalent to installing someone whose boating experience is limited to white-water rafting as Captain of the Queen Mary 2. Without a truly great first officer to balance the Captain's inexperience, that ship is destined to end up on the rocks, even without terrorists in the engine room. A Governor like Tom Vilsack might have provided the experience necessary to balance John Kerry's lack of executive credentials, but John Edwards can not do so.

This is wartime, and a new kind of war to boot. This is no time for on-the-job training in the White House. We just can't afford it.