Kerry's Number Two Is a Number One Choice

The choice of John Edwards as No. 2 on the Democratic ticket is the first great decision of the Kerry presidency – a mature, self-confident choice that bodes well for the Kerry campaign as it kicks into high gear.

It wasn't based on looking at a map and trying to figure out who could deliver the most Electoral College votes. It wasn't based on whom Kerry felt most comfortable hanging out with.

It was based on who was the best choice for the country.

Instead of picking a running mate who had the strongest resume on paper, Kerry picked the one who had the strongest vision for the country – a vision that can help Kerry bring heart and soul back to American politics.

Judging by the hysterical reaction of the GOP, there are many things about John Edwards sending a cold shiver down Karl Rove's reptilian spine. Here are five:

One. He can help Kerry make this campaign about what kind of America we want to live in – a campaign not just about policies and programs but about our fundamental values as a country.

Throughout his primary campaign, Edwards showed an uncanny ability to frame his positions in the language of morality and traditional American values.

"I believe we can build a better life for our families," he said during a Democratic primary debate. "But it has to be based on the values of hard work and responsibility, not accounting tricks and corporate greed. I want to bring your values, the values of Main Street America, to Wall Street and then to Pennsylvania Avenue. I want to give this White House back to the American people."

This is a linguistic battlefield that has been dominated by the right since the 1960s. Edwards' ability to speak to core American ideals like hard work, fairness, faith and family – the values that built America – will help Kerry reclaim key words and concepts like "morality" and "responsibility" from the recklessly irresponsible and grossly immoral GOP.

It's not by accident that this is the first quality Kerry cited when announcing Edwards as his running mate: "John understands and defends the values of America. He has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle-class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class."

George Bush wants to define this campaign in terms of right and left. John Edwards will help make sure that it comes down to a discussion of right and wrong.

Two. Edwards' core theme of the two Americas – "one for the powerful insiders, and another for everyone else" – helps sharpen the differences between the two tickets, and underlines that, far from being a uniter, George Bush has been the ultimate divider. As Edwards evocatively paints it, Bush has created two school systems, two health care systems, two economic systems, two tax systems and even two systems of government, all designed to benefit "those who never have to worry about a thing" – and at the expense of ordinary Americans.

This is not a debate Bush and Cheney want to go anywhere near. Because they know what will happen if the truth of Edwards' message is digested by the American public. Edwards has shown a commitment to putting poverty-fighting front and center in his campaign, sending a message that dates back to the beginnings of this country: We are all in the same boat together.

"I want to take a moment to talk about something you're not hearing presidential candidates talk about enough," he said in his signature stump speech. "The tens of millions of Americans who live in poverty. We pass them on the streets in our cities. They are the families that crowd our shelters and turn to our small-town churches for food. In the America you and I build together, they will be forgotten no more."

This powerful and patriotic populist vision stands in direct contrast to the dark "every man for himself" rallying cry of the conservative movement, which is epitomized by Grover Norquist and the Leave-Us-Alone Coalition, founded on a toxic mix of tax cuts and gutted social programs.