JOHN EDWARDS ON TRADE: Robert Tagorda says that libertarian hawks are fooling themselves if they think he’s much better on this issue than Gephardt. “Nobody believes that Edwards adds to the Democratic Party’s national-security profile, right? He brings excitement, charisma, and message — the ‘Two Americas,’ of which a skeptical attitude toward free trade is a part.”

Meanwhile, Virginia Postrel, following up on her post yesterday, observes: “Vote for Kerry if you must, folks. But don’t pretend you’re doing it because Bush’s economic policies are insufficiently free market or fiscally responsible.”

Well, they are, actually — but Kerry’s very likely to be worse, not better.