Candidates Who Are Trying Too Hard

Jim Geraghty mentions John Edwards:

Is there some sort of template the Edwards campaign uses? Something like a Mad Lib? "John Edwards has never taken a dime from __ lobbyists and America deserves a President who isn't in the pocket of __ special interests"?

I'll also add Chris Dodd:

Somehow, it doesn't seem likely that any tykes in New Hampshire will take him up on his offer for Halloween.

Still, Chris Dodd did lay out step-by-step instructions today for kids to dress up like him in hopes of bagging lots of candy:

• Use coloring to turn your [sic -- hair? -- the Editor] white (representing the Democratic presidential candidate's 26 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee).
• Carry a copy of the Constitution (demonstrating Dodd's vow to restore what he calls the Bush administrations assaults on civil liberties).
• Wield a folder of Dodd's campaign proposals (showing his "bold ideas" for a corporate carbon tax, free community college, and a comprehensive national service plan).
  

"Every year, parents and their children struggle to find that perfect Halloween costume," Dodd spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said in a statement. "We wanted to do our part to help by providing them with the option of going as the one candidate who has the proven leadership, record of results, and bold ideas that we need in our next president -- Chris Dodd."