No. 2 sages

How successful have previous Times editorial boards been at handicapping running mates? We'll leave that for you to decided, though there are some notable gems (especially the 1988 observation that Dan Quayle was "bright" and lionizing Dick Cheney in 2000 for his record of maintaining "good relations with leaders of both parties"). Most notable is the absence of stinging opinions on any of the VP contenders, perhaps a testimony to presidential candidates' partiality to running mates mostly unknown to the general public. Below are instant editorial reactions to previous vice presidential announcements.

August 25, 2008