This is a new one.
Democrat Veep Flavor of the Hour: Texas Rep. Chet Edwardsby FOXNews.com
Friday, August 22, 2008
Texas Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards is the latest name to emerge as a short-lister getting buzz to be chosen as Barack Obama’s running mate.
The Associated Press reported Friday that Democratic officials have said Edwards’ background was checked by Obama’s campaign and he was a finalist for the job.
Asked about the recent talk, Edwards’ spokesman on Capitol Hill said: “All questions about the VP selection should be directed to the Obama campaign.”
Other short-listers who’ve been getting near-constant coverage are Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Evan Bayh of Indiana.
Edwards, a nine-term congressman from Corpus Christi who serves on the House Appropriations and Budget committees, is a favorite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who went on ABC’s “This Week” and said, “I hope he will be the nominee.”
Asked about his choice, which the media are raptly awaiting, Obama told CBS in an interview that aired Friday morning that the person he vets must be prepared to be president.
“Obviously, the most important question is: Is this person ready to be president? The second most important question from my perspective is, can this person help me govern? Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally? And, the third criteria for me, I think, was independence. I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a yes person when it comes to policymaking,” Obama said without naming his selection.
Politico Web site reported Friday that New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is not among the candidates to make the short list.
“She was never vetted,” a Democratic official told the Politico. “She was not asked for a single piece of paper. She and Senator Obama have never had a single conversation about it. How would he know if she’d take it?”
The official said Clinton never met with Obama’s vice presidential search team of Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy nor was she asked for medical records or any financial 2008 information about her or former President Bill Clinton. The last information the couple has disclosed about taxes and financial holdings was for 2007
Clinton’s name will be submitted for nomination at the Democratic convention next week, a concession Obama’s camp approved to sow some good will with her supporters, who have been cool to Obama’s primary victory.
The Obama campaign has said it would notify supporters about his choice in an e-mail message. He and his running mate were expected to appear together on Saturday in Springfield, Ill.
But an Edwards’ pick is by no means assured. House candidates are notoriously ignored for the running mate slot. After all, Gerald Ford was the last sitting House member to graduate to the vice presidency. And the last congressman to be directly elected to that job was House Speaker John Nance Garner, D-Texas, under President Franklin Roosevelt.
But Edwards is a survivor. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, D-Texas, tried to marginalize Edwards’ electability when he redrew the state’s congressional boundaries several years ago. DeLay infused more GOP voters into Edwards’ territory. But the congressman held on.
President Bush’s Crawford ranch is in Edwards’ 17th Congressional District. And even though Bush carried the Edwards district in 2004 with 69 percent of the vote, Edwards still garnered 58 percent.
On Capitol Hill, Edwards is known as a “Cardinal,” one of the most powerful people in Congress. They command that designation when they chair a powerful appropriations subcommittee, because they hold such eminence over the federal purse strings.
Edwards presides over the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs panel. And from that post, he decides how much money to fork out to any given program. Right down to the nickel.
As a moderate from the South, he is seen by some Democrats as someone who could counterweight the liberal Obama.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/22/democrat-veep-flavor-of-the-hour-texas-rep-chet-edwards/
