Strategy determines who'll bash Dean, who won't

[JohnLocke]

Full Title: “Democrats jostle and jab for the presidential candidates, strategy determines who'll bash Dean, who won't “

12/21/03
E.J. Dionne Jr.

…Yet last week's most intriguing story line was offered by the candidates who did not bark. Rep. Richard Gephardt was relatively restrained, though he hit Dean hard earlier in the fall on Medicare and other domestic issues. But it was retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. John Edwards who left the Dean bashing to others.
The reticence of Clark and Edwards is instructive. Both are placing their biggest bets on the primaries that take place after Iowa and New Hampshire -- especially the Feb. 3 contests in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico.
…
Edwards' case is the most interesting. The North Carolina senator voted for the war and might have joined the gang tackle of Dean. But Edwards has positioned himself as the aspirant with a larder full of specific policies -- and he may be the only candidate who will give a speech titled "In Defense of Optimism." If Edwards fails, his opponents are likely to raid his store of ideas and circle back to his optimism.
Edwards' recent address to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco didn't mention Dean, though it was a clear critique of Dean's approach. But in retrospect, Edwards' sunniness also stands in sharp contrast to the scratching and clawing at Dean among the other Democratic candidates.
Taking Franklin Roosevelt as his model, Edwards noted that FDR "didn't scare people or feed their fears. He didn't tell his fellow Democrats that Hoover's errors were all their fault, and that the Depression could have been avoided if they had just gotten in Hoover's face. He told the country to disdain fear. He inspired hope, and his optimism defined our party and our country."
"My own belief is that this sniping back and forth doesn't help candidates," Edwards said in a telephone interview from Philadelphia. "This back-and-forth looks entirely political."
If he's asked if he agrees with Dean's foreign views, Edwards says, "My answer is, 'No, he's wrong.' " But he added: "I don't want that to be the driving force of the campaign."
Edwards is not above attacking his foes directly, as he did when Dean spoke of being "the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks." And staying on the sidelines as the other candidates cut each other up is as much in Edwards' interest as the attacks are in theirs.
Edwards, like Clark, is positioning himself to be the candidate left standing.
Edwards' gamble is that walking the sunny side of the street will set him off from Dean's other rivals now -- and provide a useful contrast with Dean later if the two ever get into a showdown. Long shots usually lose, but they often have the luxury of pursuing the most intriguing paths.
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Edwards is clever. I hope his choice pays off in the later primaries.
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THE LAST TIME WE WON WITHOUT A SOUTHERNER ON THE TICKET WAS ROOSEVELT
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[JohnLocke]

1. Here's the link

http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/107183909848100.xml

[Armstead]

2. It's a smart strategy..

not only in the nomination but looking ahead to the General Election.

I still favor Dean over Edwatds, but Edwards has the right idea in this sense.

All of the Dean-bashing by the otehr candidates weakens whoever the noiminee is, whether Dean or an un-Dean. It also makes the Democrats look petty, vindictive and negative.

It's one thing to be honest and point out differences. But it's something else to undermine anotehr candidate with cheap shots. It only makes unity that much harder in 04.