I had been wondering why they were billing this upcoming Star Trek convention as "without a doubt the last time you will be able to see Doohan on stage." Now I know.

Steve Gunn turned 30 this week, too. I feel so damn old.

John Kerry announced, within the past few hours, that John Edwards is his selection as the next Vice-President of the United States. So what does my Yahoo! Politics RSS feed have to offer about this choice?

About what you'd expect if you watched the media during the 2000 campaign.

Edwards' Outlook Molded in a Mill Town

(8:28 AM CDT)

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - John Edwards is a multimillionaire trial lawyer and a freshman U.S. senator from North Carolina who was considered a rising political star as soon as he arrived in Washington five years ago.

While Edwards quickly established himself as a skilled speaker and politician, critics say he lacks experience and foreign policy credentials.

Edwards, flashing his broad, boyish smile, occasionally had to remind audiences during the primary campaign that he was 50 years old. He turned 51 last month.

The native of Seneca, S.C., has always seemed like a young man in a hurry. [...]

John Edwards Has Wide-Ranging Investments

(9:17 AM CDT)

By DAVID PACE, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - John Edwards (news - web sites) is a multimillionaire former trial lawyer with wide-ranging investments in mutual funds, stocks of major American corporations, and bonds of North Carolina educational and governmental organizations, according to the North Carolina senator's financial disclosure statement.

Edwards, tapped Tuesday by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) to be his vice presidential running mate, bought and sold dozens of stocks, bonds and mutual funds last year while he was challenging Kerry and other Democrats for the party's presidential nomination. He made more than 200 trades of those financial instruments during 2003. [...]

Kerry Cancels Speech to Teachers Union

(10:48 AM CDT)

By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) canceled his scheduled speech Tuesday to the National Education Association in order to meet with his new running mate, leaving thousands of teachers without the opportunity to hear from the Democratic presidential contender a day after endorsing him.

[...]

NEA President Reg Weaver acknowledged he was angry, but he said it would not distract the nation's largest union from its business. He kept his cell phone on the podium in front of him as the convention resumed in case Kerry called to reschedule. [...]

I seem to recall that when Bush chose Cheney in 2000 - the man who had been leading the VP search, by the way - he simply told reporters he was done with Halliburton and, until this year, they seemed perfectly satisfied with that answer. John Edwards made himself a millionaire by representing individuals against companies like Halliburton, and within an hour, the press is raising its eyebrows. They're doing the same about Sen. Kerry cancelling a speech before the NEA, but when was the last time you saw a major media story about Bush's massive failures in education, including the realizations that his "Texas miracle" was a giant fraud? Oh, yeah, January.

Well, everyone will remember all that, but will need constant reminders about John Edwards, right?

They're going to pull out all the stops again, it seems.