Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Beth Lester, Clothilde Ewing, Cody Kucharczyk, Dan Furman and Nathaniel Franks of the CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

Tuesday's Headlines

* Rolls Out Veep

* Veep Pick Tick Tock

* Republicans Waste No Time Reacting to Edwards Pick

* The McCain of Our Existence

Kerry Rolls Out Veep: To a cheering crowd in Pittsburgh, Sen. John Kerry announced that his vice president is ... Sen. John Edwards. After months of hush-hush vetting and rampant speculation, the final sign, reading Kerry & Edwards, was put up only moments before Kerry began speaking, reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris. And in a sign of just how secret the decision was, one placard was spotted at the Pittsburgh announcement rally that read Kerry/Edwards on one side and Kerry/Graham, on the other.

Now that news of Kerry's vice presidential pick is finally out, the two have a full schedule planned for the next few days. But they are taking their time going public. CBS News has learned that Sen. and Mrs. Edwards will head from Washington to Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon, but may not appear with Kerry until Wednesday morning. Edwards spent the morning huddling with staff in his Georgetown home. Edwards and his wife will spend the night at Teresa Heinz Kerry's farm outside Pittsburgh.

Kerry himself will detour from his announcement speech to a long-scheduled event in Indianapolis, where he will speak to the African Methodist Episcopal Church's 47th Quadrennial Conference. Kerry will then return to Pittsburgh instead of going to Washington, where he had planned to speak at the National Education Association's 2004 Annual Meeting.

On Wednesday, CBS News has learned the Kerry campaign will be in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland. On Thursday, the team is in Florida in the morning before a major fundraiser in New York at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night, providing the candidate and his veep with a neatly planned, picture perfect, celebrity-filled event. Friday the campaign will be in West Virginia and New Mexico and then head to North Carolina for a big home state homecoming on Saturday. Details to come.

Tick Tock: According to CBS News reporter Steve Chaggaris, Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill gave a little background on how the Edwards decision unfolded.

Monday night between 10:30 and 11 p.m. ET, Kerry met with Cahill, vetter-in-chief Jim Johnson, speechwriter Terry Edmonds, and Teresa Heinz Kerry at her farm outside Pittsburgh.

Kerry thanked Johnson for "hitting every mark he wanted to hit" and thanked Cahill and the staff for their work. The VP search started on March 2, the day Jim Johnson was named, with a list of 25 people.

He then told them: "I have a pick, it is John Edwards."

This morning Kerry made his first call at 7:30 am to Edwards. He said, "John, Teresa and I would like to ask you and Elizabeth to join us, to join our ticket with the hope to take back our country." It was a 15 to 20 minute conversation.

After Edwards, Kerry called the other Democrats who had vied for the No, 2 spot, but Cahill wouldn't say who they were or how many there were. Those conversations lasted 10 to 15 minutes apiece.

Cahill described the conversations as "amicable and comfortable" and all of those called "indicated they would do anything to see this ticket elected." CBS News has learned that among those called were Florida Sen. Bob Graham, who said that Kerry told him that he had decided to "go another way" but said he hoped Graham would help with matters of national security. Graham said he thought the process was "very respectful and dignified."

Another runner-up, Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, also got a call from Kerry. He had told friends that after spending time with Kerry in Iowa on Sunday he felt the decision wasn't going his way. But in a statement he praised Edwards and said he was OK with the outcome. "I'm married to the best woman in the world and I've got the greatest job as governor of Iowa. The last few weeks of speculation have been flattering and a great compliment to the State of Iowa. Christie and I are enthusiastic to do all that we can to help John Kerry and John Edwards win in November."

Dick Gephardt, who many thought was Edwards' main competitor, stayed in his home this morning. His aides confirmed that Kerry had called him.

"I congratulate John Kerry this morning on his selection of John Edwards as his running mate. This is a ticket that can excite, motivate and most importantly defeat George Bush and Dick Cheney in November," read a Gephardt statement. "I will continue to work hard for their election and look forward to campaigning with them and for them in the months ahead in our efforts to move America forward."

Republicans" have Instant Reaction: The Bush campaign and Republican National Committee wasted no time to react to John Kerry's announcement of his selection of John Edwards as his running mate. Before the ink was dry on the Kerry-Edwards placards, Republicans had released several attack e-mails, a new Bush campaign ad featuring John McCain's endorsement of the president last month and a memo from a campaign strategist saying Kerry would receive a large (if short-lived) boost in the polls from picking a VP.

Almost simultaneous with confirmed reports that Kerry had tapped Edwards, the Bush campaign sent out an e-mail labeling the selection of the North Carolina senator, "The Ultimate Flip-Flop."

Among the "instant" Bush-Cheney analysis of the Kerry-Edwards ticket:

"The Kerry/Edwards ticket represents one of the most divisive and out of the mainstream tickets for President. Never before has the Democratic Party chosen the 1st and 4th most liberal members of the United States Senate to represent it in a Presidential campaign. Kerry's poll-tested running mate was selected to help Kerry close the 'charm gap' with voters. Kerry's consultants know that Kerry's inability to excite a crowd or communicate an optimistic message is a growing problem for their campaign."

And,

"Senator Edwards delivers his pessimism with a southern drawl and a smile, but his message of a divided America rings hollow in the ears of an optimistic America that is united in meeting the tests of our times with strength and hope. Kerry and Edwards share a commitment to talk down this great nation and the progress we're making in the War on Terror and in growing the economy."

In what could prove a tone-setting e-mail, the Republican National Committee said of Kerry's pick: "Who is John Edwards? A disingenuous, unaccomplished liberal and friend to personal injury trial lawyers." The RNC also posted a website, www.kerrypicksedwards.com, which links to the party's research on Edwards, the "unaccomplished and inexperienced" first-term lawmaker.

Around 10 a.m. on Monday, the Bush campaign released a slightly more subtle statement on Edwards. Chairman Marc Racicot said of the Democratic ticket: "I welcome Senator Edwards to the race as Senator Kerry's running mate. Senator Edwards is a committed liberal and spirited messenger for his party in an election that will decide the course our nation takes in turning a recovery into prosperity for all Americans, and in the War on Terror. There will be vigorous debates about these issues in this election…

"Senator Edwards shares Senator Kerry's views on many important issues, such as his opposition to the child tax credit and marriage penalty relief; his objection to a prescription drug benefit for seniors; and his vote against our troops on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq. There is a clear philosophical difference between the parties in this election, and we welcome an honest debate about which ticket can best accomplish these goals and share the priorities of our great nation."

Maybe because it is his 58th birthday, President Bush took the most positive tone, welcoming Edwards to the race. Vice President Dick Cheney called Edwards and said he looked forward to a "spirited debate."

Bush-Cheney also made sure it "prepared the political world" for a slump in the polls as the country heard about Kerry's selection. As word leaked out on Monday that Kerry would announce his pick this morning, Bush-Cheney strategist Matthew Dowd sent out a memo on how much of a "bounce" Kerry would receive from picking a VP and the subsequent Democratic National Convention, slated to begin July 26 in Boston. Dowd, known in recent years for his "memos" filled with less-than-optimistic predictions about the president's upcoming poll numbers, said the campaign expects Kerry to get a 15-point bounce, but that it would be short-lived.

It's Still All about John McCain: Bush-Cheney also released a new TV ad moments after Edwards was tapped. The spot, which will begin on Wednesday on national cable networks and some select local markets, features footage from a campaign event last month where Sen. John McCain – whom Kerry had asked to be on the ticket — introduced President Bush. The ad is called "First Choice," a play on the Bush campaign's contention that McCain, not Edwards, was Kerry's top pick as a running mate.

The 60-second spot will start running soon on national cable outlets and select local markets in battleground states.

As McCain speaks, various images – ranging from a toppled statue of Saddam Hussein to U.S. soldiers to Osama bin Laden to pictures of Mr. Bush and his wife, Laura – are played intermittently.

The text: "It's a big thing this war. It's a fight between right and wrong, good and evil. And should our enemies acquire for their arsenal the chemical, biological and nuclear weapons they seek, this war will become an even bigger thing. It will become a fight for our survival. America is under attack by depraved enemies who oppose our every interest and hate every value we hold dear. It is the great test of our generation and he has led with great moral clarity and firm resolve. He has not wavered, he has not flinched from the hard choices, he was determined and remains determined to make this world a better, safer, freer place. He deserves not only our support but our admiration. That's why I am honored to introduce to you the President of the United States, George W. Bush."

The Democratic National Committee responded to the McCain spot with an Internet ad featuring McCain. The DNC says the web spot, which can be seen at www.democrats.org, "gives a more complete picture of the McCain/Bush relationship, highlighting McCain's view on Bush and taxes, the war in Iraq, social priorities, and the environment."

Quote of the Day: "Kerry Picks Gephardt" -- New York Post header on Tuesday.