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Edwards Will Serve as Kerry's Running Mate on Democratic Ticket

Aired July 06, 2004 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We do have a busy morning. We'll get started from the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's start with the headlines.
John Kerry, as you know, has made it official. Fellow U.S. Senator John Edwards will be serving as his running mate on the Democratic ticket. There they go. Get moving there. The 51-year-old Edwards is considered an electrifying campaigner, though a political newcomer still in his first term in Senate. Much more on that selection straight ahead.

A U.S. Marine held hostage in Iraq, has reportedly been freed just over an hour ago. The brother of Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun told CNN that he has been released. In a phone interview from Lebanon, he refused to provide details. There's been no confirmation yet from the U.S. military.

In the Middle East, an Israeli operation to round up Palestinian militants has been costly. At least six Palestinians were reportedly killed, along with one Israeli Special Forces officer in the West Bank town of Nablus.

Testimony began today before a Spanish parliamentary commission investigating the Madrid train bombings. A doorman, who alerted police to a suspicious van, was the first witness to appear before the March 11 Commission. Top ranking police and Civil Guard officers will testify later this week.

It was a tightly held secret, until about three hours ago when word leaked out. Now, just about everyone in America knows John Kerry has chosen his rival from the primaries, John Edwards, to be his running mate.

Candy Crowley is in Pittsburgh, where the official announcement came just about an hour ago.

Candy, good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Indeed, came here in downtown Pittsburgh. This, of course, is home to John Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

What is interesting about the pick is that ever since John Kerry wrapped up the primary process in March -- mid to late March, all the polls showed consistently that based Democrats wanted John Edwards. The hue and cry only got louder over time. It came from trial lawyers who were big supporters of Edwards. It came from Capitol Hill, where any number of people thought that Edwards was the best pick. So it was today that John Kerry came full circle and made official what everyone wanted in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am pleased to announce that with your help, the next vice president of the United States of America will be Senator John Edwards from North Carolina.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: So why John Edwards? A couple of reasons. First of all, this is a man who speaks quite eloquently, says the campaign to matters of the middle class. He was, after all, a personal injury trial lawyer. Very successful one in North Carolina. He speaks for the little person, though he is a multi-millionaire now. He came, as he will say over and over again as he did in the primaries, the son of a mill worker. He came from a small town in South Carolina. So a balance to John Kerry's more upper class upbringing. So there is that. But most importantly, there is the Midwest, where this presidential election is expected to be decided. What most of this campaign believes is that John Edwards, the biggest pull will be in those small towns in the Midwest. He believes that -- the campaign believes that Edwards speaks the speak of those towns. And that's where he will be the most valuable -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Candy, let me ask you about the event today. What about the logistics of making the announcement, the big surprise announcement without even the man who has been selected by John Kerry's side?

CROWLEY: Well, it got our attention, didn't it?

KAGAN: Yes.

CROWLEY: So I mean, you know -- I mean look, I mean they were intent on having this be a surprise and having control on when this came out. You bring a guy into town, and everybody's at the airport. So this is one way to get around that. We're told that actually Kerry at 10:30 sat down three of his top aides. And said okay, it's going to be John Edwards. This was after a talk with Teresa. So, they knew they certainly had time to get Edwards up here. But they wanted to do this solo.

This is also a way to kind of drag this out. Because now what are we waiting for? We're waiting for a picture of the new team. Waiting for the new team to campaign together and see how they are. So this gives it, you know, another day -- another couple of days, while they barnstorm through some of those battle ground states. Including ending up in North Carolina, not considered a battle ground state, considered pretty Republican on the presidential level. But that's where Edwards is from. So, Saturday they'll wind up there.

We're not really sure when we'll see the two of them together. We do know Edwards will be in Pittsburgh later today and so will Kerry. Whether or not we will see them, we'll have to let you know later. But they're definitely going to campaign together starting tomorrow.

KAGAN: All right. We will be seeing those pictures. Candy Crowley in Pittsburgh, thank you for that.

So, the Democratic ticket is set. But how will the selection of John Edwards help or potentially hurt John Kerry.

Kelly Wallace is in Washington where Edwards received his call.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Well, if these Georgetown residents thought it would be just another July day here in Washington, D.C., well, they were certainly getting a big surprise. Lots of excitement here. A number of camera crews. Everyone huddled around John Edwards' Georgetown home waiting to see him, the U.S. Capitol police just arriving.

We are told not to expect John Edwards until possibly this afternoon. At this hour, he is huddled inside his house here with a number of aides. A number of people who played a key role during his primary campaign. And who are expected to play a key role for this vice presidential ticket and this campaign that will get under way.

One person who is not inside, though, wife Elizabeth. We are told Elizabeth Edwards was in Raleigh, North Carolina, earlier this morning. And we understand she is making her way perhaps here to D.C. to hook up with John Edwards. And of course, they will, as Candy was saying, they will be in Pittsburgh with John Kerry and his wife Teresa later today.

John Edwards clearly was auditioning day in and day out for this job. He was out there campaigning for John Kerry, raising a ton of money for the campaign. One Kerry source calling him a prolific fund- raiser. He was out there touting Kerry, and touting his record. A couple of signs now that look sort of crystal clear for us. We now know that there was this meeting, which was a secret Thursday night here in Georgetown. John Kerry meeting with John Edwards here in Georgetown at the home of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. We were told that was a very, very good meeting.

John Edwards, also yesterday campaigning and raising money for John Kerry in Boston. Cam Kerry, believed to be one of his top advisers, was there, and introduced John Edwards. We believe they spent some time together. Cam Kerry, last week also spending some time in North Carolina.

Ultimately campaign advisers we've been talking to say the decision by John Kerry is that John Edwards brought the most energy and viability to the ticket. And that is really what clinched the decision for him -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Kelly Wallace in Washington, D.C. Thank you for that.

We have put our best political heads together for analysis of the Kerry-Edwards ticket, or the John-John ticket you might want to call it. "INSIDE POLITICS" host Judy Woodruff and Paul Begala from CNN's "CROSSFIRE" are in Washington.

Good morning to both of you.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Daryn. And you're right, Paul Begala is right here with me. Paul, you know, we're sitting here thinking about the choice that John Kerry has made. As somebody said a few minutes ago, it took him an awfully long time to come right back to the person many Democrats wanted him to pick in the first place.

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Yes. But it was a good process. This is the only time that a challenger gets to act like a president. It's the only presidential decision he makes. The real president makes the presidential decisions every day.

And I think the process speaks pretty well for Kerry. He maintained people's privacy. He didn't parade them out in public. I think that Kerry himself felt a little abused by the process he went through when Al Gore considered him and rejected him. So I think that it's terrific because it has be Kerry's choice, not the party's choice. This is his singular choice and he's come around to it. I think it's very good for the party. It's clearly who the Democrats wanted, but it's nice that's who Kerry came around to.

WOODRUFF: Let's talk about in nuts and bolts what John Edwards brings John Kerry. What about -- we've been talking about small towns, and swing voters and so forth. What about those border states? What about any of the southern states? Does this give John Kerry a better shot at any state that he did not have a shot at before?

BEGALA: The Kerry people already believed that he has a shot in Louisiana and Arkansas and Tennessee. And even Virginia, which I find preposterous. But they do. They've advertised in Virginia. I don't think he has the slightest chance there. But they already believed, before Edwards, that they had a shot in the south. I think this does helps to give them a leg up.

My friends in the Midwest, my Democratic friends, wanted John Edwards even more. They felt like even though he's from the south, and he certainly talks like a North Carolinian, that he could have real appeal particularly in Ohio, in Illinois, and in Indiana even, a very tough state for a Democrat to win. So it's those Midwesterners, I think, actually who were pushing for the southerner more than their fellow Midwesterners.

WOODRUFF: Paul, as you know, we've been talking about this the Bush-Cheney people are already out there saying, hey, it was just a few months ago that John Kerry was criticizing John Edwards. You know, he talked about he wasn't experienced enough. He was in diapers when I was coming back from Vietnam. And so forth and so on. Is that the kind of thing that is going to make it difficult for John Kerry to, you know, to say this is the man I've chosen and I'm proud of him?

BEGALA: No. No. I think voters understand that in a primary, people running against each other say rough things. I mean good Lord! Nobody was savaged worse than John McCain was when he ran against George W. Bush. Now John McCain is in ads for George W. Bush.

What's more note worthy is Edwards did not really attack Kerry. Edwards lost to Kerry, but he didn't really attack him. It wasn't the kind of nasty campaign that a lot of Democrats usually participate in the primaries. I think by Edwards taking the high road, he makes it a lot easier for this decision to be made today.

KAGAN: Judy, let me jump in here a second. I want to bring up a different geographic point, because you've talked about the northeast. You have John Kerry, the south; Paul just talked about the Midwest. As a westerner, I'm wondering what about the west. Has the Democratic Party forgotten about all the people out there? And how does it play into this selection.

BEGALA: Yes. Well, Daryn, I think the truth is, the West Coast is Democratic. I mean it just is. From -- Oregon will be a tough state, particularly if Ralph Nader is on the ballot. But I think that Edwards is star quality. I mean all of my Hollywood liberal friends, and yes, I do know those guys...

KAGAN: And you do have Hollywood friends. Shocking, Paul.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: I do. It's amazing. But they love him, Edwards was their guy. Even in the primaries, they liked Edwards better than Kerry to begin with. So, believe me. I guess they're up by now. It's about 7:10 in Hollywood.

KAGAN: A lot of people on the West Coast watching.

BEGALA: They're popping the champagne corks right now. They're thrilled.

KAGAN: Judy, let me get you to comment on this. During the primaries, we heard John Edwards; his big theme was "the two Americas," basically, the haves and the have-nots. And yet, both of these two Johns are both definitely from the have category. How is that going to play with this ticket?

WOODRUFF: Well, except for the fact that as we've been talking about this morning, Daryn, John Edwards came up from almost nothing. He came from a very -- a family of very modest means. His father was a -- worked at a mill in North Carolina. He went to the University of North Carolina for law school, before that to the North Carolina State. He is not someone who came from wealth. Yes, he's earned a lot of money being an attorney, but he didn't come from that. And I think both John Kerry and John Edwards talk about how much they want America to be a country of opportunity. You heard it again from John Kerry this morning. We want to be the country, you know, where people can get an education, where people can get good health care. It appears that that's going to be an important theme of their campaign.

And sure, people can point to them and say, well, you've got a lot of money right now. But you know, the question is going to be, how sincere, how -- when people listen to this, does this come across as something that they can believe. And the Kerry-Edwards campaign is going to be betting on that.

KAGAN: And one last question here. Making a big deal of John Edwards, how comfortable, how charismatic, how he's the golden boy. Is it possible he could outshine John Kerry?

WOODRUFF: Well, sure. I mean John Edwards is a -- one of the best campaigners of our time. He's been compared to Bill Clinton. Somebody who having only been in politics five or six years, you know, has learned how to just mesmerize a crowd. So he's got real star quality. But look, his interest is going to be in building up John Kerry. It's not going to be in diminishing John Kerry.

So -- and I think, you know, to a degree, I don't want to psycho analyze this too much, I mean you could say it shows John Kerry has a measure of self-confidence. And that he picked somebody who clearly has more, you know, more of the wow of the crowd skills than he does.

Daryn, I just want to add one other quick thing...

KAGAN: Please.

WOODRUFF: ...if I can, in just a few seconds.

I just called the office of John McCain just to clarify whether the Bush campaign checked with him that they were using him in this ad. Because we know that George W. Bush and John McCain have not necessarily been close friends. The McCain people say, yes, he was called. They did give him the courtesy of letting him know. But they also point out that this is exactly what they expected. That this was -- this wasn't an appearance that John McCain made on behalf of George W. Bush, that John McCain wasn't consulted about the timing.

And they went on to point out that John McCain is -- remains close friends, good friends with John Kerry and John Edwards. And that he does not plan to criticize either one of them during this campaign. So a little interesting wrinkle.

KAGAN: Interesting. Of course, that's the Republican spin, that actually John Edwards was the second choice of John Kerry. We're going to talk about that a lot more this hour and also in the next hour.

Paul Begala, Judy Woodruff, thank you for that.

WOODRUFF: Thanks, Daryn.

BEGALA: Thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: John Edwards might be seen as a running mate who complements John Kerry. Candy Crowley once again. We're going to bring her back with the look at this political balancing act.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): It is good old-fashioned ticket balance. A northeastern Democrat on the liberal side. A southern Democrat on the moderate side.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The south is not George Bush's backyard. It is my backyard!

CROWLEY: He has southern charm, a southern drawl, and maybe some southern pull. But when John Kerry tapped the senator from North Carolina, he was thinking Midwest, battle ground states where jobs have been lost. Where Edwards may move voters, like he once moved juries as a wildly successful personal injury trial lawyer.

You can hear the skill set at work, in the apocryphal stories of a father who loses his job when the factory closes.

EDWARDS: His life will change forever, when he looks into the eyes of his little girl tonight. His family's life will change forever. And don't tell me that this doesn't happen, because I have seen it with my own eyes.

CROWLEY: In the '04 VP stakes, Edwards had the least political experience, just six years in the Senate. The most public support, he was the most favorite in almost every VP polls, and the most obvious audition.

EDWARDS: The man is going to lead us out of wilderness, back to hope. Back to a belief that in our America, everything is possible. And build one America that can work for everybody!

Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States, Senator John

Kerry!

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

CROWLEY: Edwards brings not just geographic, but stylistic symmetry to the ticket. Kerry, son of a diplomat, the product of private boarding schools, long on seasoning, short on style. Edwards, son of a mill worker, the product of public schools, who once made "People" magazine "Sexiest Man Alive " issue. Kerry's roots are blue blood. Edwards is a self-made millionaire, whose roots are blue collar, giving authenticity to his signature issue of two Americas, one rich, one poor.

EDWARDS: In the America you and I build together, we're going to say no to kids going to bed hungry, no to kids who don't have the clothes to keep them warm. And no forever to any American working full-time and living in poverty.

CROWLEY: Kerry can take the simple and make it complex. Edwards takes the complex and makes it simple. As to the primary, if their yes vote on the resolution made them responsible for the Iraq War, Kerry hedged his way through almost two minutes of an answer.

EDWARDS: That's the longest answer I ever heard to a yes-or-no question.

(LAUGHTER)

CROWLEY: Kerry Edwards, a decision made on the ballots.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And the story continues to develop. We expect to be hearing from John Kerry, from John Edwards. Also from Iowa Governor Vilsack, one of the potential choices who was not picked today. We'll hear what he has to say. That's all coming up.

Right now, a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Getting back to our developing story of the day, Senator John Kerry has picked Senator John Edwards of North Carolina to be his running mate, for the Democratic presidential ticket.

Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider standing by in Washington, D.C. for his comments.

Not a huge surprise, perhaps -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, probably the least surprising pick for vice president that I've seen in a long time. But it was a popular choice. Every poll showed that Edwards was the first choice of Democrats to be the running mate of John Kerry, that he was the first choice for a lot of voters. He has been vetted in a sense by the primary process. He came across very effectively. And he adds something important to this ticket. Populism, he adds a common touch. Probably the best natural politician since Bill Clinton, whom he was in touch with when he prepared to run for the presidency.

So he definitely adds something, although he has a conspicuous weakness, which is a lack of experience in world affairs. But Kerry probably feels he has enough experience in national and international affairs to take care of that problem.

KAGAN: Also, no military experience for John Edwards.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. But Kerry has military experience. So Kerry's calculation was, these things won't matter in the vice president, because I have those qualities. I have credibility on national security. Edwards adds that populous touch, that common touch, which Kerry so often is seen as lacking.

KAGAN: To be a little quaint here, are they saying that he has the looks and Kerry has the brains?

SCHNEIDER: Well, that would be one way of putting it. Both of these guys are senators. And it's interesting; we have two sitting senators on the ticket, first time since 1960 that we've seen that happen. But interestingly, when Edwards ran for president, he fashioned himself as an outsider. He kept saying I'm a Washington outsider. Kerry once looked at him and said last time I looked you were in the United States Senate.

But he's only been there for one term. He doesn't consider himself a creature of Washington. He doesn't talk like a Washingtonian. He is still trying to -- he ran for president, as someone who was a Washington outsider. So in a way, he still has that appeal.

KAGAN: Very -- still very much in touch with his y'all. Y'all factor.

SCHNEIDER: Exactly right.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: But when you look at what he's done in the Senate, his legislative record is kind of thin. For the short amount of time, but hasn't really got a lot done.

SCHNEIDER: He hasn't got a lot done. But he's associated with important measures. The patients' Bill of Rights, most notably, which he championed. And it's consistent with his career, as a trial lawyer of taking on big business and big companies.

He's been critic of free trade. That's one of the issues where he has not gone eye to eye with John Kerry, who said in his remarks this morning, we see eye to eye on many issues. But we've gone head to head on many others. And one is trade. Where Edwards was kind of a protectionist, because North Carolina has lost so many jobs to overseas interests. That he felt as if he had to defend those, as a senator from North Carolina.

KAGAN: But for two men, who especially not that long ago ran against each other, this do have a large amount of issues that they agree on.

SCHNEIDER: They do. They agree on most issues. Look, this is not a ticket that's in any reasonable sense an incompatible ticket. What's interesting is both of these guys are wealthy. But it doesn't count against them. John Edwards was born poor. He comes from blue- collar origins. He prides himself in the fact that his father was a mill worker. Kerry was born to comfortable, though not wealthy circumstances. He married wealth.

The problem in politics is for those who were born to wealth and privilege. Especially Republicans. For a Democrat, a Kennedy, a Roosevelt, it doesn't really matter, because they're Democrats. For Republicans, it can be a problem. So I think these guys' wealth is not going to be a problem. In the end, they're Democrats. And in the end, they made it more or less on their own.

KAGAN: All right. Bill Schneider in Washington, D.C., thanks for your insight this morning. Appreciate that.

We're going to have a lot more on the selection of John Edwards to be John Kerry's vice presidential running mate. That's coming up.

A lot of other news still ahead as well. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired July 6, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We do have a busy morning. We'll get started from the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's start with the headlines.
John Kerry, as you know, has made it official. Fellow U.S. Senator John Edwards will be serving as his running mate on the Democratic ticket. There they go. Get moving there. The 51-year-old Edwards is considered an electrifying campaigner, though a political newcomer still in his first term in Senate. Much more on that selection straight ahead.

A U.S. Marine held hostage in Iraq, has reportedly been freed just over an hour ago. The brother of Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun told CNN that he has been released. In a phone interview from Lebanon, he refused to provide details. There's been no confirmation yet from the U.S. military.

In the Middle East, an Israeli operation to round up Palestinian militants has been costly. At least six Palestinians were reportedly killed, along with one Israeli Special Forces officer in the West Bank town of Nablus.

Testimony began today before a Spanish parliamentary commission investigating the Madrid train bombings. A doorman, who alerted police to a suspicious van, was the first witness to appear before the March 11 Commission. Top ranking police and Civil Guard officers will testify later this week.

It was a tightly held secret, until about three hours ago when word leaked out. Now, just about everyone in America knows John Kerry has chosen his rival from the primaries, John Edwards, to be his running mate.

Candy Crowley is in Pittsburgh, where the official announcement came just about an hour ago.

Candy, good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Indeed, came here in downtown Pittsburgh. This, of course, is home to John Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

What is interesting about the pick is that ever since John Kerry wrapped up the primary process in March -- mid to late March, all the polls showed consistently that based Democrats wanted John Edwards. The hue and cry only got louder over time. It came from trial lawyers who were big supporters of Edwards. It came from Capitol Hill, where any number of people thought that Edwards was the best pick. So it was today that John Kerry came full circle and made official what everyone wanted in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am pleased to announce that with your help, the next vice president of the United States of America will be Senator John Edwards from North Carolina.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: So why John Edwards? A couple of reasons. First of all, this is a man who speaks quite eloquently, says the campaign to matters of the middle class. He was, after all, a personal injury trial lawyer. Very successful one in North Carolina. He speaks for the little person, though he is a multi-millionaire now. He came, as he will say over and over again as he did in the primaries, the son of a mill worker. He came from a small town in South Carolina. So a balance to John Kerry's more upper class upbringing. So there is that. But most importantly, there is the Midwest, where this presidential election is expected to be decided. What most of this campaign believes is that John Edwards, the biggest pull will be in those small towns in the Midwest. He believes that -- the campaign believes that Edwards speaks the speak of those towns. And that's where he will be the most valuable -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Candy, let me ask you about the event today. What about the logistics of making the announcement, the big surprise announcement without even the man who has been selected by John Kerry's side?

CROWLEY: Well, it got our attention, didn't it?

KAGAN: Yes.

CROWLEY: So I mean, you know -- I mean look, I mean they were intent on having this be a surprise and having control on when this came out. You bring a guy into town, and everybody's at the airport. So this is one way to get around that. We're told that actually Kerry at 10:30 sat down three of his top aides. And said okay, it's going to be John Edwards. This was after a talk with Teresa. So, they knew they certainly had time to get Edwards up here. But they wanted to do this solo.

This is also a way to kind of drag this out. Because now what are we waiting for? We're waiting for a picture of the new team. Waiting for the new team to campaign together and see how they are. So this gives it, you know, another day -- another couple of days, while they barnstorm through some of those battle ground states. Including ending up in North Carolina, not considered a battle ground state, considered pretty Republican on the presidential level. But that's where Edwards is from. So, Saturday they'll wind up there.

We're not really sure when we'll see the two of them together. We do know Edwards will be in Pittsburgh later today and so will Kerry. Whether or not we will see them, we'll have to let you know later. But they're definitely going to campaign together starting tomorrow.

KAGAN: All right. We will be seeing those pictures. Candy Crowley in Pittsburgh, thank you for that.

So, the Democratic ticket is set. But how will the selection of John Edwards help or potentially hurt John Kerry.

Kelly Wallace is in Washington where Edwards received his call.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Well, if these Georgetown residents thought it would be just another July day here in Washington, D.C., well, they were certainly getting a big surprise. Lots of excitement here. A number of camera crews. Everyone huddled around John Edwards' Georgetown home waiting to see him, the U.S. Capitol police just arriving.

We are told not to expect John Edwards until possibly this afternoon. At this hour, he is huddled inside his house here with a number of aides. A number of people who played a key role during his primary campaign. And who are expected to play a key role for this vice presidential ticket and this campaign that will get under way.

One person who is not inside, though, wife Elizabeth. We are told Elizabeth Edwards was in Raleigh, North Carolina, earlier this morning. And we understand she is making her way perhaps here to D.C. to hook up with John Edwards. And of course, they will, as Candy was saying, they will be in Pittsburgh with John Kerry and his wife Teresa later today.

John Edwards clearly was auditioning day in and day out for this job. He was out there campaigning for John Kerry, raising a ton of money for the campaign. One Kerry source calling him a prolific fund- raiser. He was out there touting Kerry, and touting his record. A couple of signs now that look sort of crystal clear for us. We now know that there was this meeting, which was a secret Thursday night here in Georgetown. John Kerry meeting with John Edwards here in Georgetown at the home of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. We were told that was a very, very good meeting.

John Edwards, also yesterday campaigning and raising money for John Kerry in Boston. Cam Kerry, believed to be one of his top advisers, was there, and introduced John Edwards. We believe they spent some time together. Cam Kerry, last week also spending some time in North Carolina.

Ultimately campaign advisers we've been talking to say the decision by John Kerry is that John Edwards brought the most energy and viability to the ticket. And that is really what clinched the decision for him -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Kelly Wallace in Washington, D.C. Thank you for that.

We have put our best political heads together for analysis of the Kerry-Edwards ticket, or the John-John ticket you might want to call it. "INSIDE POLITICS" host Judy Woodruff and Paul Begala from CNN's "CROSSFIRE" are in Washington.

Good morning to both of you.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Daryn. And you're right, Paul Begala is right here with me. Paul, you know, we're sitting here thinking about the choice that John Kerry has made. As somebody said a few minutes ago, it took him an awfully long time to come right back to the person many Democrats wanted him to pick in the first place.

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Yes. But it was a good process. This is the only time that a challenger gets to act like a president. It's the only presidential decision he makes. The real president makes the presidential decisions every day.

And I think the process speaks pretty well for Kerry. He maintained people's privacy. He didn't parade them out in public. I think that Kerry himself felt a little abused by the process he went through when Al Gore considered him and rejected him. So I think that it's terrific because it has be Kerry's choice, not the party's choice. This is his singular choice and he's come around to it. I think it's very good for the party. It's clearly who the Democrats wanted, but it's nice that's who Kerry came around to.

WOODRUFF: Let's talk about in nuts and bolts what John Edwards brings John Kerry. What about -- we've been talking about small towns, and swing voters and so forth. What about those border states? What about any of the southern states? Does this give John Kerry a better shot at any state that he did not have a shot at before?

BEGALA: The Kerry people already believed that he has a shot in Louisiana and Arkansas and Tennessee. And even Virginia, which I find preposterous. But they do. They've advertised in Virginia. I don't think he has the slightest chance there. But they already believed, before Edwards, that they had a shot in the south. I think this does helps to give them a leg up.

My friends in the Midwest, my Democratic friends, wanted John Edwards even more. They felt like even though he's from the south, and he certainly talks like a North Carolinian, that he could have real appeal particularly in Ohio, in Illinois, and in Indiana even, a very tough state for a Democrat to win. So it's those Midwesterners, I think, actually who were pushing for the southerner more than their fellow Midwesterners.

WOODRUFF: Paul, as you know, we've been talking about this the Bush-Cheney people are already out there saying, hey, it was just a few months ago that John Kerry was criticizing John Edwards. You know, he talked about he wasn't experienced enough. He was in diapers when I was coming back from Vietnam. And so forth and so on. Is that the kind of thing that is going to make it difficult for John Kerry to, you know, to say this is the man I've chosen and I'm proud of him?

BEGALA: No. No. I think voters understand that in a primary, people running against each other say rough things. I mean good Lord! Nobody was savaged worse than John McCain was when he ran against George W. Bush. Now John McCain is in ads for George W. Bush.

What's more note worthy is Edwards did not really attack Kerry. Edwards lost to Kerry, but he didn't really attack him. It wasn't the kind of nasty campaign that a lot of Democrats usually participate in the primaries. I think by Edwards taking the high road, he makes it a lot easier for this decision to be made today.

KAGAN: Judy, let me jump in here a second. I want to bring up a different geographic point, because you've talked about the northeast. You have John Kerry, the south; Paul just talked about the Midwest. As a westerner, I'm wondering what about the west. Has the Democratic Party forgotten about all the people out there? And how does it play into this selection.

BEGALA: Yes. Well, Daryn, I think the truth is, the West Coast is Democratic. I mean it just is. From -- Oregon will be a tough state, particularly if Ralph Nader is on the ballot. But I think that Edwards is star quality. I mean all of my Hollywood liberal friends, and yes, I do know those guys...

KAGAN: And you do have Hollywood friends. Shocking, Paul.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: I do. It's amazing. But they love him, Edwards was their guy. Even in the primaries, they liked Edwards better than Kerry to begin with. So, believe me. I guess they're up by now. It's about 7:10 in Hollywood.

KAGAN: A lot of people on the West Coast watching.

BEGALA: They're popping the champagne corks right now. They're thrilled.

KAGAN: Judy, let me get you to comment on this. During the primaries, we heard John Edwards; his big theme was "the two Americas," basically, the haves and the have-nots. And yet, both of these two Johns are both definitely from the have category. How is that going to play with this ticket?

WOODRUFF: Well, except for the fact that as we've been talking about this morning, Daryn, John Edwards came up from almost nothing. He came from a very -- a family of very modest means. His father was a -- worked at a mill in North Carolina. He went to the University of North Carolina for law school, before that to the North Carolina State. He is not someone who came from wealth. Yes, he's earned a lot of money being an attorney, but he didn't come from that. And I think both John Kerry and John Edwards talk about how much they want America to be a country of opportunity. You heard it again from John Kerry this morning. We want to be the country, you know, where people can get an education, where people can get good health care. It appears that that's going to be an important theme of their campaign.

And sure, people can point to them and say, well, you've got a lot of money right now. But you know, the question is going to be, how sincere, how -- when people listen to this, does this come across as something that they can believe. And the Kerry-Edwards campaign is going to be betting on that.

KAGAN: And one last question here. Making a big deal of John Edwards, how comfortable, how charismatic, how he's the golden boy. Is it possible he could outshine John Kerry?

WOODRUFF: Well, sure. I mean John Edwards is a -- one of the best campaigners of our time. He's been compared to Bill Clinton. Somebody who having only been in politics five or six years, you know, has learned how to just mesmerize a crowd. So he's got real star quality. But look, his interest is going to be in building up John Kerry. It's not going to be in diminishing John Kerry.

So -- and I think, you know, to a degree, I don't want to psycho analyze this too much, I mean you could say it shows John Kerry has a measure of self-confidence. And that he picked somebody who clearly has more, you know, more of the wow of the crowd skills than he does.

Daryn, I just want to add one other quick thing...

KAGAN: Please.

WOODRUFF: ...if I can, in just a few seconds.

I just called the office of John McCain just to clarify whether the Bush campaign checked with him that they were using him in this ad. Because we know that George W. Bush and John McCain have not necessarily been close friends. The McCain people say, yes, he was called. They did give him the courtesy of letting him know. But they also point out that this is exactly what they expected. That this was -- this wasn't an appearance that John McCain made on behalf of George W. Bush, that John McCain wasn't consulted about the timing.

And they went on to point out that John McCain is -- remains close friends, good friends with John Kerry and John Edwards. And that he does not plan to criticize either one of them during this campaign. So a little interesting wrinkle.

KAGAN: Interesting. Of course, that's the Republican spin, that actually John Edwards was the second choice of John Kerry. We're going to talk about that a lot more this hour and also in the next hour.

Paul Begala, Judy Woodruff, thank you for that.

WOODRUFF: Thanks, Daryn.

BEGALA: Thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: John Edwards might be seen as a running mate who complements John Kerry. Candy Crowley once again. We're going to bring her back with the look at this political balancing act.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): It is good old-fashioned ticket balance. A northeastern Democrat on the liberal side. A southern Democrat on the moderate side.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The south is not George Bush's backyard. It is my backyard!

CROWLEY: He has southern charm, a southern drawl, and maybe some southern pull. But when John Kerry tapped the senator from North Carolina, he was thinking Midwest, battle ground states where jobs have been lost. Where Edwards may move voters, like he once moved juries as a wildly successful personal injury trial lawyer.

You can hear the skill set at work, in the apocryphal stories of a father who loses his job when the factory closes.

EDWARDS: His life will change forever, when he looks into the eyes of his little girl tonight. His family's life will change forever. And don't tell me that this doesn't happen, because I have seen it with my own eyes.

CROWLEY: In the '04 VP stakes, Edwards had the least political experience, just six years in the Senate. The most public support, he was the most favorite in almost every VP polls, and the most obvious audition.

EDWARDS: The man is going to lead us out of wilderness, back to hope. Back to a belief that in our America, everything is possible. And build one America that can work for everybody!

Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States, Senator John

Kerry!

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

CROWLEY: Edwards brings not just geographic, but stylistic symmetry to the ticket. Kerry, son of a diplomat, the product of private boarding schools, long on seasoning, short on style. Edwards, son of a mill worker, the product of public schools, who once made "People" magazine "Sexiest Man Alive " issue. Kerry's roots are blue blood. Edwards is a self-made millionaire, whose roots are blue collar, giving authenticity to his signature issue of two Americas, one rich, one poor.

EDWARDS: In the America you and I build together, we're going to say no to kids going to bed hungry, no to kids who don't have the clothes to keep them warm. And no forever to any American working full-time and living in poverty.

CROWLEY: Kerry can take the simple and make it complex. Edwards takes the complex and makes it simple. As to the primary, if their yes vote on the resolution made them responsible for the Iraq War, Kerry hedged his way through almost two minutes of an answer.

EDWARDS: That's the longest answer I ever heard to a yes-or-no question.

(LAUGHTER)

CROWLEY: Kerry Edwards, a decision made on the ballots.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And the story continues to develop. We expect to be hearing from John Kerry, from John Edwards. Also from Iowa Governor Vilsack, one of the potential choices who was not picked today. We'll hear what he has to say. That's all coming up.

Right now, a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Getting back to our developing story of the day, Senator John Kerry has picked Senator John Edwards of North Carolina to be his running mate, for the Democratic presidential ticket.

Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider standing by in Washington, D.C. for his comments.

Not a huge surprise, perhaps -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, probably the least surprising pick for vice president that I've seen in a long time. But it was a popular choice. Every poll showed that Edwards was the first choice of Democrats to be the running mate of John Kerry, that he was the first choice for a lot of voters. He has been vetted in a sense by the primary process. He came across very effectively. And he adds something important to this ticket. Populism, he adds a common touch. Probably the best natural politician since Bill Clinton, whom he was in touch with when he prepared to run for the presidency.

So he definitely adds something, although he has a conspicuous weakness, which is a lack of experience in world affairs. But Kerry probably feels he has enough experience in national and international affairs to take care of that problem.

KAGAN: Also, no military experience for John Edwards.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. But Kerry has military experience. So Kerry's calculation was, these things won't matter in the vice president, because I have those qualities. I have credibility on national security. Edwards adds that populous touch, that common touch, which Kerry so often is seen as lacking.

KAGAN: To be a little quaint here, are they saying that he has the looks and Kerry has the brains?

SCHNEIDER: Well, that would be one way of putting it. Both of these guys are senators. And it's interesting; we have two sitting senators on the ticket, first time since 1960 that we've seen that happen. But interestingly, when Edwards ran for president, he fashioned himself as an outsider. He kept saying I'm a Washington outsider. Kerry once looked at him and said last time I looked you were in the United States Senate.

But he's only been there for one term. He doesn't consider himself a creature of Washington. He doesn't talk like a Washingtonian. He is still trying to -- he ran for president, as someone who was a Washington outsider. So in a way, he still has that appeal.

KAGAN: Very -- still very much in touch with his y'all. Y'all factor.

SCHNEIDER: Exactly right.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: But when you look at what he's done in the Senate, his legislative record is kind of thin. For the short amount of time, but hasn't really got a lot done.

SCHNEIDER: He hasn't got a lot done. But he's associated with important measures. The patients' Bill of Rights, most notably, which he championed. And it's consistent with his career, as a trial lawyer of taking on big business and big companies.

He's been critic of free trade. That's one of the issues where he has not gone eye to eye with John Kerry, who said in his remarks this morning, we see eye to eye on many issues. But we've gone head to head on many others. And one is trade. Where Edwards was kind of a protectionist, because North Carolina has lost so many jobs to overseas interests. That he felt as if he had to defend those, as a senator from North Carolina.

KAGAN: But for two men, who especially not that long ago ran against each other, this do have a large amount of issues that they agree on.

SCHNEIDER: They do. They agree on most issues. Look, this is not a ticket that's in any reasonable sense an incompatible ticket. What's interesting is both of these guys are wealthy. But it doesn't count against them. John Edwards was born poor. He comes from blue- collar origins. He prides himself in the fact that his father was a mill worker. Kerry was born to comfortable, though not wealthy circumstances. He married wealth.

The problem in politics is for those who were born to wealth and privilege. Especially Republicans. For a Democrat, a Kennedy, a Roosevelt, it doesn't really matter, because they're Democrats. For Republicans, it can be a problem. So I think these guys' wealth is not going to be a problem. In the end, they're Democrats. And in the end, they made it more or less on their own.

KAGAN: All right. Bill Schneider in Washington, D.C., thanks for your insight this morning. Appreciate that.

We're going to have a lot more on the selection of John Edwards to be John Kerry's vice presidential running mate. That's coming up.

A lot of other news still ahead as well. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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