Almost before John Kerry had sealed up the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, he was being advised to name his vice president -- now. Every Democrat in Washington seemed to think that an accelerated selection process was essential to Kerry's success; even Nancy Pelosi said that it was "important to have a nominee by May 1."
But somehow Kerry held out, and now -- with less than a month before the Democratic national convention begins on July 26 -- the chatter over whom he will choose is louder than ever. Although a long-shot dark horse could come out of nowhere and/or left field to defy all expectations (and spur a frenzy of clichés), the list of serious contestants has shrunk considerably. With the announcement imminent, how do the likely candidates stack up?
