Neocons attack neophyte

I'm not sure WHY the Republicans have decided that the "experience" smear is the one most likely to resonate with the voters; it strikes me as a rather weak attack on a veep. But apparently, they have:

"WASHINGTON, July 7 - At President Bush's first campaign stop in North Carolina on Wednesday morning, he was asked how Vice President Dick Cheney stacked up against the new Democratic vice-presidential candidate, who, the president was told, is already being described as "charming, engaging, a nimble campaigner, a populist and even sexy."

Mr. Bush was ready with a one-liner: "Dick Cheney can be president."

Good idea, George: keep saying "Dick Cheney can be president." Many American are painfully aware that, yes, he CAN be, and the idea that he MIGHT be scares the crap out of most of us.

With that sharp retort, Mr. Bush showed how aggressively Republicans were moving to expose what party leaders view as Senator John Edwards's greatest vulnerability: his lack of experience.

E.J. Dionne, in the Washington Post, had this to say about that:

"When you hear Republicans disparage Sen. John Edwards's lack of experience, remember the words of Sen. Orrin Hatch, spoken to George W. Bush at a debate on Dec. 6, 1999.

"You've been a great governor," Hatch declared of his rival for the Republican presidential nomination. "My only problem with you, governor, is that you've only had four and going into your fifth year of governorship ... Frankly, I really believe that you need more experience before you become president of the United States. That's why I'm thinking of you as a vice presidential candidate."

Which is exactly what Edwards was chosen for yesterday."

If the Bushies keep it up, they should be hammered with Hatch's quote until they start vomiting it up.