[+/-] Kerry's message and VP

The Gadflyer has a nice piece today on Why Kerry shouldn't try to out-smile Bush:

"We don't need a leader who'll be optimistic for America, we need one who'll be determined for it.... What's needed is an antidote to Bush's desperate-ploy optimism, a reminder of where our country actually is rather than where the commercials place it. The Hollywood model needed now is not the indomitable runt who eventually plays halfback, but the tough-as-nails soldier who refuses to give up and radiates can-do grit."

The Economist this week has a simplistic breakdown of Kerry's VP potentials (subscription required). Personally I really like John Edwards, and he has been teriffic stumping for Kerry, but I think he'd be a poor VP choice: he cannot even bring along his own red state of North Carolina. Governor Mark Warner (D-VA) has a better chance of turning the Old Dominion blue, although that would be a first since LBJ. The most intriguing suggestion is former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Would Rubin's Wall Street credentials be enough to compensate for his lack of electoral experience? I bet he could at least pass the FCC Indececy Quiz, unlike Mr. Cheney.