Speech by Edwards an inkling of his role

By Kirsten Scharnberg
Chicago Tribune

MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts is cheered by delegates at the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston last night.

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The political reality, however, is that Edwards' fate was sealed decades later and in a state much farther north.

On the frigid back roads of Iowa, Edwards began running for president almost two years ago, banking his political future on a populist, optimistic message that was more about what was right with America than what was wrong.

Even more, he doggedly refused to go negative on his opponents, despite advice that he would never stand out in the crowded Democratic field unless he drew sharp distinctions between himself and the more-experienced politicians.

Tonight, when Edwards accepts the vice-presidential nomination in Boston and delivers a prime-time speech that will serve as his formal introduction to the nation, the 51-year-old North Carolina senator will begin to see those gambles pay off.

"I was raised in a little mill town, was the first person in my family to go to college and now have been given the opportunity to run for the vice presidency," Edwards likes to tell audiences, going on to promise them he'll fight to give all of them the same opportunities to succeed.

	STEVEN SENNE / AP Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., left, holding daughter Emma Claire, 6, and his wife Elizabeth, holding son Jack, 4, depart for Boston yesterday.

As the Democratic convention kicked off this week, Edwards secluded himself in his elegant colonial home here, spending quiet time in his wooded back yard, making notes in the margins of his typed speech.

Popular wisdom is that he will deliver an energetic, inspirational address that will be well received among the masses. But the speech — its length, its themes, its tone and language — may reveal much about how Edwards will be used in the coming campaign and how well he has adapted to his new role as No. 2.

"When he looks out on the floor of the convention, I think there will be one very interesting detail out there," said Timothy Walch, the author of "At the President's Side: The Vice Presidency in the 20th Century" and director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. "On all those Kerry-Edwards posters, the two men's names are in almost exactly the same point size. Usually the vice presidential running mate's name is much smaller. I think that is symbolically indicative of Edwards' importance to this ticket."

For all the early buzz that an amiable Edwards could outshine the more reserved Kerry, there has been little evidence of that.

While Kerry has traveled the country giving speeches about how he would act as commander in chief, Edwards has seamlessly glided into the role of salesman in chief. His popular "Two Americas" speech, which during the primary season highlighted an economic divide in America, has been almost entirely scrapped, replaced by a message centered around promoting Kerry.

After the convention, Edwards will continue to advocate for Kerry. But it appears the campaign will also have him do what he did best in the primaries — win over voters in smaller, more rural areas and appeal to undecided independents. A senior campaign official said Edwards likely will be dispatched most often to Iowa, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin — vital battleground states — and his home North Carolina.

Edwards also brings a youthful exuberance to the ticket. In addition to his daughter Cate, 22, he and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children: Emma Claire, 6; and Jack, 4. Tonight, Cate is expected to introduce her mother; Elizabeth is to introduce the senator. Emma Claire and Jack, who stole the show during a recent Wisconsin rally when they boisterously head-butted one another on stage with foam cheese heads, likely will be brought onto the stage at the conclusion of Edwards' speech.

Edwards flew to Boston from Raleigh yesterday afternoon. On the way to the airport, he had his motorcade make a short detour. He quietly visited the cemetery where his 16-year-old son, Wade, who died in a car accident in 1996, is buried. On board his plane, Edwards' voice grew husky when he admitted the visit to reporters who asked if he'd stopped anywhere before leaving town.

Edwards doesn't talk about Wade except when asked, although the impact of his son's death on him was profound. He doesn't want to be seen as trying to capitalize from tragedy, of courting pity votes.

He also fears breaking down.

During his 1998 Senate campaign, Edwards volunteered information just once: At the end of his victory speech, he thanked "my son Wade, who has been a precious beacon to me in all this." He told campaign workers he waited until the end because he wouldn't finish otherwise.

At the start of the campaign, he warned those same aides that if they tried to use Wade's death in the campaign, he would fire them.

Today, Edwards plans to calm any jitters about the speech by falling into a familiar routine. He will run several miles and then practice his remarks in his Boston hotel suite.

Twenty-four hours after Edwards finishes his speech, his running mate will take the same stage. Walch, the historian, said the onus will then be on Kerry to match Edwards' energy.

"Edwards' job is to get on base," Walch said. "Kerry's job is to hit a home run. I have no doubt that Edwards will get very easily on base. But then the question becomes: Will Kerry hold up his end?"

Other key speakers on today's schedule: Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Information about Wade Edwards was from a Knight Ridder Newspapers report.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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