Beltway denizens were somewhat surprised when, soon after John Kerry officially launched his search for a running mate, a boomlet erupted around vanquished candidate Richard Gephardt.

• Position: Who's Who

Beltway denizens were somewhat surprised when, soon after John Kerry officially launched his search for a running mate, a boomlet erupted around vanquished candidate Richard Gephardt. After all, neither Gephardt's alleged strength in the Midwest nor his close ties to organized labor prevented him from finishing an a heroic fourth in January's Iowa caucuses. So why did the dailies and newsweeklies start...