Parade of the Also-Rans: VP Hopefuls Address Dem Convention

The potential running mates — those who never were — got their moment at the lectern Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention just hours before Barack Obama’s real No. 2., Joe Biden, gave his acceptance speech in a forceful address to the delegates. Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed and Texas Rep. Chet Edwards, all of whom at one point were considered contenders to be Obama’s running mate, all had speaking slots. Bayh, a member of both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, was considered a boon to Obama given his foreign policy resume. Reed, also on the Armed Services Committee, got a bump in the speculation game after he traveled with Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan last month. And Edwards, who is actually President Bush’s representative in the U.S. House, saw his stock rose late in the cycle as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began to tout him as a running mate for Obama. Now among the dozens of speakers who serve as the ... (link)