Vilsack and Edwards make their case for V-P

Two of the top candidates that democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s considering for a runningmate appeared at the same Iowa venue last night. Iowa’s Governor, Tom Vilsack, and North Carolina Senator John Edwards — the second-place finisher in Iowa’s Caucuses — spoke at an Iowa Democratic Party event in Des Moines Friday night. It wasn’t really an audition for the V.P. job since Kerry wasn’t there, but about 200 Iowa Democrats were. Vilsack was first at the microphone. Vilsack said the challenge for democrats this election year is “to make America believe again.” Vilsack called Kerry the “captain of our team.” Vilsack said the future of the country is on the ballot this November, and it’s up to democratic activists to do their part in turning out voters. It was Edwards, though, who was billed as the keynote speaker, and Edwards told the crowd he wasn’t going to “be as nice” as Vilsack had been. For example, when it comes to the Iraq prison abuse scandal, Edwards said the Bush Administration stinks from the head down. Edwards ridiculed Bush for saying during a recent news conference that he couldn’t think of anything he’s done wrong as President. Edwards said Bush should give the democrats a call because they could provide a list of things Bush has done wrong. It’s been five months since Edwards set foot in Iowa. Vice President Dick Cheney delivered a different message last night in Sioux City, telling a republican audience that Kerry was the candidate of malaise — a reference to a term former President Jimmy Carter used to describe the economic downturn of the late ’70s. Cheney earlier in the day said he had no regrets about using an obscenity to tell off a democrat Senator who’s been criticizing Cheney.