Why Edwards not running again is good news

[ButterflyBlood]

his Senate seat is the "cursed" one. For the last 30 years, no incumbent has been able to hold on to it, and according to polls, he wasn't going to either. But with an open field now, that might change. I think Erskine Bowles might be a stronger candidate than Edwards.

[lcordero]

1. Who exactly are those polls done by?

[ButterflyBlood]

3. Reputable sources

none I saw were partisan though. Fact is though, all the signs were pointing to him not winning if he did run again.

[IndianaGreen]

2. It also means the end of Edwards political life

He is not competitive for the nomination, so he faces political oblivion by so casually abandoning his Senate seat.

[ButterflyBlood]

4. well there are rumors that he's Kerry's top VP pick

and I can see him getting a cabinet position

[PurityOfEssence]

8. That's just flat-out ridiculous

He just turned 50, he's done quite a lot in his term as Senator, he's a force to be reckoned with, and he's doing the ethical thing here. Should he hang on and fight with everything he's got for his Senate seat when he's got a serious chance to be a true statesman for the ages? At least he's making a timely decision and respecting his peers and the process.

If he runs and fails, he's still young and leaving undefeated as a legislator. He may be the next Attorney General, V.P. or President. He's a rallying figure and a person of true merit who's accomplished much. He's also getting to be a seasoned politician, and he could be a true healer for the divided country and alienated other 96% of the world's people.

This is a bold move and will bring him publicity and some cachet, at least for the moment.

And gosh, it's not like he "owes" people on this board any debt for their sweet and tender loyalty: he's been derided and ignored.

This man has a huge heart and an iron will; you will see more of him regardless what happens.

[CRK7376]

5. Unless my state gets lucky,

We'll be saddled with Repug Richard Burr replacing Edwards. Unfortunately he's the Congressmen that represents me. Hopefully Bowles will win the seat. Just what we need another fat rich repug that reminds me of a cross between Jesse Helms and Rush Limbaugh. A worthless representative. I doubt Edwards will do well in the primary's so I hope he gets a cabinet/VP nod out of this fiasco.

[MattNC]

7. Burr

I like him alright. He used to be my representative until the recent redistricting. I don't agree with him on every issue, but he's always been very cordial and more than willing to listen to what I have to say when I've talked to him in person. And even though he's no longer my representative, I still write him on certain issues, and he responds very quickly.

[TexasEditor]

6. Edwards TV commercials...

I'm about 20 minutes south of Oklahoma, and Edwards has campaign commercials running on Oklahoma TV, geared towards small town and rural voters.

[w4rma]

9. Most recent poll had Edwards up by 8% in North Carolina over Burr

http://www.ourcampaigns.com/cgi-bin/r.cgi/RaceDetail.html?&RaceID=3809