• A northeastern liberal


• Worse, a Massachusetts liberal


• Rich, from rich parents, married to a very, very rich woman


• Took money from special interests, possibly in compromising ways


• Kind of funny looking


• Comes off as distant and impersonal, patrician


• His wife is foreign, and a little odd (off-beat, let's say)


• Almost two decades of Senate votes to cull for attack material


• Didn't need to make a living, he's that rich

Edwards

• From the border south (He's southern, but not too southern)


• Basically a centrist [Update: Maybe not -- see this]


• Worked his way up from humble origins


• Took money from people in his profession, but not in circumstances that are suspect


• Handsome


• Comes off as friendly, a regular guy


• His wife is perky and intelligent, but not overbearing


• Has less than 1 term in the Senate, so not too much of a record to be attacked with


• He made his living as a trial attorney

Granted, maybe I'm cooking the books a little, but I think you can see why I worry about Kerry, there are just too many toe- and finger-holds in his entire package that Rove can make use of. Yes, Kerry has his status as a decorated veteran and a war hero, but Edwards is young enough that questions about Vietnam-era military service won't be raised, so that's pretty much a wash (plus, considering the play that the Bush/AWOL story continued to get, I'm not sure how hard they're going to press any military service angle).

At this point, I think that, despite my respect and liking for General Clark, I'd like to see him get out of the race to clear the way for Edwards to make a run at Kerry. Dean, I still think, is a dead duck just waiting for confirmation of his demise, which he will get once he's given Wisconsin his best. I don't think he can take it much further than that. If the other guys drop out as I expect them to, then Edwards has just barely enough time to make his case for Super Tuesday, and we'll all be better off I think, in the long run. Kerry will have a chance to be really tested in a way he hasn't since before Iowa (when he rejiggered his campaign with the help of Ted Kennedy), and we'd see from both Kerry and Edwards if they have the right stuff.

[Thanks to Ves for bringing up the issue.]