Two days ago I jotted down on a piece of paper six reasons why I felt John Edwards would be the best pick for VP. I then came across Neil Sinhababu's list. I'm sure countless other bloggers have published similar lists for Edwards, Hillary, Biden, Richardson, etc.

Anyway, here's the list I came up with in favor of Edwards:

1) Women like him. There certainly appears to exist a chasm of hurt for Hillary supporters that needs to be healed or at least bridged. Selecting another woman would obviously not help as it would be passing over Hillary for another woman and likely just further exacerbate the problem, so best to pick a man that very much appeals to women. And the fact that Edwards' wife is so appealing, likable, and courageous (given her fight with cancer) is just a huge extra plus.

2) You want a smart, tactful attack dog as VP. It was often said after the 2004 election that Edwards had pushed hard for Kerry to fight back sternly and forcefully against the Swift Boat morons, but his urging was rebuffed. The campaign felt better to take the supposed high road -- and it cost them. That's a great sign, to see Edwards willing and up for aggressive response to the predictable slime from the GOP. Make no mistake, this eagerness to strike back fast and with emphasis will be needed this time around and Edwards can effectively deliver the zings.

3) Edwards is not overly gray haired. Many are saying Obama needs to pick an older fella to offset his youth and relative inexperience. Baloney. We've seen that arrangement for the last eight years and it's been a disaster. Obama does not in anyway want to conjure up images that resemble the current administration. (Also, Obama can use Cheney to point out that age and experience do not always equate to wisdom and good judgment).

4) Edwards appeals to Hispanic and Latino voters. It's known that Obama could use some help concerning these voters and Edwards is well-liked by them.

5) Iraq. Unlike Hillary, Edwards expressed deep regret for his Iraq war vote. As I mentioned in a prior post, Obama's anti-war stance was a huge reason for his edging out Hillary and by going with Edwards (as opposed to Hillary) is keeping unified this enormously important and influential anti-war message. (Esp. vs. McCain's 100-years-in-Iraq message).

6) Lastly, I would mention that Ralph Nader did endorse Edwards for president this year so that could at least mean something with regards to appealing to all those progressives who feel that the Democrats have become just like the Republicans. That may or may not be true but the guy who's been pounding home that belief for the last several years (Mr. Nader) apparently felt differently about Edwards -- quite a bragging point for a presidential candidate who wishes to stress change as his primary goal.

Yes, the more I think about it the more I believe Edwards would be Obama's best choice, and let's be real: Obama is no John Kerry (thankfully).