Irrefutable proof that John Edwards will be strong & unflappable tonight.

[Lex]

I posted this a while back but it bears repeating. Not even a growling, pompous Cheney will shake Edwards. Go John! I'll be rooting for you to slay that old, evil dragon tonight.

----------------------------------

"When former senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska recruited Edwards to run for the Senate in 1998, Kerrey warned him that campaigns can be brutal. ''John looked at me and said, 'If you've ever had to get up on a medical examiner's table and hug your son goodbye, you know that there's nothing worse that can happen to you,'" Kerrey told the Globe's Patrick Healy last year."

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/08/03/hard_learned_lessons_drive_rival_campaigns?pg=full





Fancy Clothes and Overalls: Wade's award winning essay

[RobertSeattle]

1. I'm thinking Cheney has a similar comeback

Cheney: "If you've ever had to look your own gay daughter in the eye and tell her you must ignore her and act like she doesn't exist during a political convention in order to keep your Right Wing base happy..."

/SARCASM

[Minimus]

5. my heart sank when I read John Edward's statement

about saying goodbye to his son, then I read your comment and you made me chuckle.

crying and then laughing always makes me feel better.

[Pathwalker]

2. John Edwards is correct; there IS nothing harder than

losing your child. Nothing.

[Guaranteed]

3. Jesus Christ that just destroyed me. nt

[MuseRider]

4. Now you are making

me cry! That is such a sad statement but I am certain it is true. Edwards will be great tonight, I am certain. Cheney may not be a moron like Bush* but Edwards has the truth and a true sense of public service going for him. He makes you believe he is doing this for you. People respond to that. Add it to Kerry last week and the fact that people need help and I think you have a winner. We will of course not know until the election (or long after) because the media already has Cheney winning but what Edwards says and does tonight will stay with people.

[DakotaDemocrat]

6. Wow...

I lost my brother over 10 years ago to suicide. I think about him often. When I really think about him, I think about my parents, who found him.

I'm going to call them right now.

[spooky3]

7. Wade's essay is heartbreaking.

[wicket]

8. Oh god :(

Heartbreaking...

[Julien Sorel]

9. My bet is Cheney is going to try to bully him.

They are obviously going to want to score big on Edwards to try to make up for Bush -- take some of the focus away. To do that, Cheney will have to make Edwards seem callow and weak.

The other option is Cheney does a Dan Quayle and spends the whole time attacking Kerry, as Quayle did Dukakis when he was supposed to be debating Bentsen. Either way, Edwards needs to bring his A game, and be ready to come across as tough. Ninety minutes of "two Americas" isn't going to hack it.

[Lex]

10. Edwards won't have to "come across as tough." Edwards *is* tough.

And Cheney will look like the personification of the bully that America is becoming if he starts trying to make Edwards look callow or weak.

The secret fear that many Americans have is that America has become the bully of the world, and they will see that in Cheney tonight and they will reject it.

[Julien Sorel]

12. "If he can't stand up to Dick Cheney, he can't stand up to the

terrists." The media were echoing this Republican spin with regards to Kerry and the Swift Hoaxers, and the Republicans would love to see it happening again. If the talking heads bought it once, they'll buy it again.

I have no doubt Edwards is tough -- in his own way. The question is, can he come across as tough. Will he impress Americans as a guy who could step into the big job and do it. If Cheney attacks Kerry, will Edwards slap him down, or will he simply be "Sunshine Johnny?"

I saw a clip of him on Jon Stewart's show before he declared -- it's on their web page, and I highly recommend it. He didn't come across as impressive at all in that format, neither did he do well in what passed for "debates" in the primaries. He's a great orator, but that's different from being a good debater.

Before you go off on some nationalistic, Edwards is great rant, I like the guy. I just hope he steps up tonight, both for this election and for any future ones.

[Lex]

13. He won't have a problem "stepping up" tonight.

Count on it.

[ben_packard]

11. This will be my first real view of edwards, other than the odd campaign

snippet. looking forward to it.

[hippiegranny]

14. the essay written by Wade

grabbed at my emotional heartstrings... so much promise, what a tragedy.

as for the debate this evening - I expect the snarl to be quite a bit more smoothe than the smirk was the other night, but I really think our candidate is going to be able to handle him, and make yet another dent in their hate machine.

[Road Scholar]

15. Cheney is just small potatoes compared to what Edwards has

been through. I'm sure Edwards had a period that he had to evaluate
his values and priorities. He's going to be the best vice president this country has ever had.
"Silver spoon in his fat ass" Cheney doesn't deserve to wipe Edwards' boots. :puke: It just seems to me that it's an insult to even compare Dick Cheney to John Edwards.


A North Carolina Democrat hoping for better days.