WASHINGTON — John Edwards' schedule looks a lot like the travels of a man chasing higher office, with stops in political battlegrounds such as Ohio, Minnesota and, soon, Florida.
But Edwards, who finished second to John F. Kerry in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, is still the senior U.S. senator from North Carolina -- for a few more months, anyway.
And so a recent clammy Washington afternoon found him back on Capitol Hill, in the Hart Senate Office Building, presiding over "Tar Heel Thursday," a once-a-week chance for visitors from back home to ask questions of Edwards, grab a handshake or pose for a picture.
The senator arrived late -- tanned and grinning -- and answered 16 questions in 21 minutes, on subjects such as global warming, faith-based health clinics and his unsuccessful bid for president. When asked how his Senate successor would have been chosen had he won the Democratic nomination and resigned his seat, Edwards ruefully admitted, "It's not a problem now." He got a big laugh by wishing it was.
No one asked Edwards about the vice presidency. No one had to. No one doubts Edwards would leap at the chance to be Kerry's running mate, if offered.
But saying so publicly would be a flagrant breach of political protocol, so Edwards elides the question when he is asked, offering a stock answer that even he calls a "nonanswer."
I respect Sen. Kerry's decision-making process and know he'll make a good decision on his timetable, Edwards tells reporters in Columbus, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Denver; and other legs of what Republicans tauntingly call his "Please-Pick-Me-For-V.P.-Tour." (Aides point out that Edwards often travels as a surrogate speaker at the request of the Kerry campaign.)
Edwards, who declined to be interviewed for this article, is not the only one shrouding his desire in bland statements of indifference. Other prospective vice presidential candidates -- including Florida Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- have appeared on conference calls attacking Bush, or alongside Kerry at campaign stops, all the while disavowing any interest in the No. 2 spot.
At least three have advanced beyond the preliminary stage to be formally vetted by Kerry campaign lawyers: Edwards, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa.
