Why not pick VP and Cabinet NOW?

Hear me out.

Let's say your Attorney General pick is John Edwards. His job during the campaign becomes the hammering of John Ashcroft 24/7.

The same with all other cabinet picks. Let them tear up and expose the hacks currently holding those positions.

This way you (sorry for the borrowed phrase) take the target off of Kerry's back and the Bushies are forced to run a multi-lateral campaign...

I understand the drawbacks, but isn't there some value in getting a full team together to attack the Administration...

Right now the news is dominated by the implosion of Bush's Iraq policy, the debacle on 9/11 and the inept handling of terrorism. If Kerry started naming his administration staff this would steal just take away from the coverage. Best to wait until a week when things turn to the positive for bush.

:-)

One is that some of the people who would make good cabinet members are in races of their own, and wouldn't want the distraction.

Two is that Kerry isn't sure exactly what his election strategy should be yet. Some of it will depend on how the 9-11 Commission turns out, etc. VP is a big part of strategy.

Three, you get a lot of attention when you choose, but that attention fades. if you do it too soon, it kills some of the excitement.

Four, it takes a lot of focus off Kerry, and puts in on the Republicans, who will start holding daily press conferences about some scandal they've found on the others.

Five, it would be expensive to have all of them campaigning with Kerry.

Six, Kerry has to develop his own platform, and with other cabinet members on his team, some of them may say things to contradict him from time to time, making Kerry look unfocused. On the other hand, Bush's cabinet does that now, and it doesn't seem to hurt him. But that's with the media acting as his PR Department.

The good points, though, are as you say. There are more Dems attacking Bush. The Republicans have to diffuse their energies to slander more people (that's the good side of point four). With that many lies floating around, there is more of a chance that people will see through the slanders.

Intriguing idea, phillybri. Very. Maybe at the convention would be a good time. Pick the VP before, pick a couple of cabinet members during the convention. Clark, Dean. Pick Richard Clarke as head of Homeland Security (that would cause Bush problems, and give Clarke a microphone).