Earlier this week, I posted what I thought was the short list for Vice President under John Kerry.

First Tier Candidates:
Gephardt, Vilsack, Clark, Bayh
Teetering: Edwards

My money is on Clark or Bayh..

According to Kos (source story@Bloomberg) , I was only one name off.

John Kerry, according to unnamed sources, has narrowed his short list down to five candidates, including Dick Gephardt, Tom Vilsack, Wes Clark, John Edwards, and Bob Graham, with a decision to come within a month. While the five of these guys are rather different from each other, they all seem to fit well on a Kerry ticket, each with their own balance and strategy points they would bring to the table.

I have to say with the current climate, all signs are pointing to Wes Clark. This election is shaping up to be about security and Iraq, and no one can top Clark on that respect. He would nearly inoculate John Kerry from "weak on defense" attacks, brings high military experience to the ticket, and has proven to have the ability to set the grassroots afire. His primary campaign was a stinker, but this is a whole new ballgame. Not only do we have a chance, many prominent voices are now coming out and saying this thing is ours to lose. Donna Brazile, Al Gore's 2000 campaign manager and DNC voting rights go to girl, had this to say about Clark's chances in the race:

"He's had a consistent position on the war, opposing it under the conditions and circumstances in which it was launched...He looks like a sage when you reflect back on what he said and where we are."

I like his chances too. If this is the real short list, General Clark is where I would hedge my bets, as well as my hopes at this point.

That said, any of these five guys would please me. I'm almost glad Bayh isn't on this list. Either Gephardt or Graham would be the ultimate bizarro Cheney pick, Vilsack is the up and comer from a swing state, and Edwards is the proven campaigner. On the downside for these guys, Gephardt and Graham are about as interesting as oh, Dick Cheney, and could prove a liability for someone with a perceived personality problem ala Kerry, Vilsack has no name recognition, and Edwards could potentially outshine Kerry on the campaign trail, as well as have his own ambitions for the job. We'll find out in the next few weeks. Folks, it's getting exciting.