Less than fourty-eight hours after the announcement that John Edwards is John Kerry’s runningmate, I am increasingly convinced that something is terribly wrong with Kerry’s decision. It is not the matter of Edwards’ lack of experience; sometimes those who lack it have the bravura to go ahead and perform bold strokes of genius in the face of opposition. Nor is it the matter of his being the fourth most liberal voter in the Senate; I am not one to think that a person is “filthy” on account of his voting record alone. Nor am I so shallow as to say that I despise him for his being a trial lawyer, despite my use of the title “Slick Johnny.”

A few hours after the announcement yesterday, many news anchors have one question for Democrat spokesmen and commentators on the implications of this choice: What does John Edwards bring to the table? The first word that came out of my mouth was “prevarication.”

Yesterday I glibly joked that John Kerry chose Ronald Reagan to be vice; I stand by that opinion. The same qualities with which Democrats of old derided Reagan — his emphasis of style over substance, his politics of optimism, his life having lived the American Dream — are the same qualities that Democrat commentators on the television news were touting of Edwards. Today, having watched a few clips from Ohio of these two campaigning, I am thoroughly convinced that Edwards is the ethylene glycol of John Kerry’s campaign: a sweet poison that will slowly shut him down as time slowly and excruciatingly passes by, sapping the identity and strength off of Kerry until it will seem that it is John Edwards running for president.

Perhaps this selection is simply yet another symptom of the malaise that is hitting Democrats whose only campaign is to not be Bush. It reeks, as I said, of prevarication. It reeks of triangulation, and it reeks of strategery. It’s slick, but in this day and age they can no longer perform Clintonesque maneuvers without being exposed as triangulists: the ultimate pair of flip flops, they are called. However, Middle America is not as unforgiving of triangulation as we are. Besides, many people espouse the right to change their minds, and I have no doubt that further equivocation by these two will make them come out smelling like roses.

In this wild race for the Presidency, the best move for the Bush administration is to remain firm, as it always has. Consistency has been its greatest virtue, despite its being accused of bullheadedness and simplisme. While others speculate on Cheney’s resignation for health reasons, and that another person take Cheney’s spot, I see now that changing Vice Presidents will be a wrong move. If Kerry’s selection reeks of strategery, a change in teh GOP vice-presidential candiate will reek to high heaven of reactionary strategery. It will not fool anyone, despite its intent not to fool at all.

We shall see.