AP Interview: Edwards on Iraq and Dems

[sniffa]

He pointed out that during town hall meetings across the state, Iraq is not a dominant issue with his audiences. "I don‘t think it means they don‘t care intensely about the war, because I think they do," he said. "I just think they don‘t see it as an issue of great separation for the Democrats."

While Edwards continues to invoke ending the war as one of the major challenges facing the nation, the thrust of his message is that entrenched corporate power has prevented the government from tackling long-standing domestic problems.

In his tour, Edwards has virtually stopped talking about his rivals, especially Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Not long ago, she was a special target of his criticism, particularly on the war.

This time, he saved his criticism for President Bush, blaming him and the Iraqi government for failing to get Sunnis and Shiites to reach a political agreement during this year‘s escalation of troops.

The Edwards camp appears perfectly happy to let Clinton and Barack Obama engage each other while Edwards shifts to the upbeat populism that has defined much of his candidacy from the start.

http://www.onelocalnews.com/howelltimesandtranscript/stories1/index.php?action=fullnews&id=103371