ScrappleFace: With Polls Flat, Kerry Drops Edwards

Democrat presidential hopeful John Forbes Kerry today announced he had dropped John Edwards from the ticket, and hinted he would name Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt as his running mate before the Democrat convention in Boston.

"I actually picked Dick Gephardt, before I decided against him," said Mr. Kerry. "So this is not a change in my beliefs or strategy because my polling numbers are flat. This is who I have always been. I'm sticking to my guns with same sort of steely commitment my comrades-in-arms admired during my time in Vietnam."

The announcement comes about two weeks after Mr. Kerry named Mr. Edwards as his vice presidential candidate in order to boost his stagnant polling numbers. Yet even with a barrage of media coverage, paid advertising and campaign events, a New York Times/CBS poll showed no significant increase in support for the Democrat ticket, despite a torrent of negative news about the Bush administration.

"I see this decision like I see my support for the Iraq war," said Mr. Kerry, "I support John Edwards as vice president, but I don't like the way he's trying to become vice president, so I'm withdrawing the funding that would allow him to campaign."