Gov. Ed Rendell

When I was in graduate school in Philadelphia in the late 1980s, I took a class taught by Ed Rendell. At that time, the only political experience on his resume was that he had served as the District Attorney for Philadelphia from 1978 to 1985. My recollections of the class and Rendell are vague, but I do distinctly remember the director of our program predicting that Rendell would go far in politics.

Since I moved from the Keystone State back to Minnesota, Rendell has served as Mayor of Philadelphia, General Chair of the Democratic National Committee and, since 2003, as Governor of Pennsylvania. Now, there are hints that Rendell has his sights set on running for President.

The Democractic Party could do a lot worse than Rendell. He has extensive executive experience, no legislative record to pick apart, and generally centrist views on social and fiscal matters. If he runs, his Democratic rivals will undoubtedly argue that he doesn't have the necessary experience on national security issues, but he might be able to fend off such attacks if he surrounds himself with the right people. Anyway, for those who can't help but start speculating about 2008, don't forget about Rendell.