So ya think EDWARDS will jump the Obama bandwagon now?

[The Ghost]

HAHA

[libertee]

1. Nope..check that hug..it was interesting....

[Renew Deal]

10. It was a nice man-hug.

:pals:

[catgirl]

34. What was wrong with the hug?

Obama's tall. Anyway, I think Edwards has privately endorsed Obama (to Obama),
but was advised by Gore to stay "neutral". I think Edwards with be AG.

[tridim]

2. Zero doubt about it now.

[ecstatic]

3. Any endorsement now will ring hollow. He waited too long and

now he's irrelevant. Any endorsement now will seem opportunistic.

[The Ghost]

9. i agree

100%. Which is why im laughing thinking of him endorsing now. Shows what a spineless snake he is. (Sorry Edwards fans, no disrepect to you!)

[TheDonkey]

20. yep...

I think the whole "ordeal" was a little unseemly.

[JVS]

27. his delegates would be nice, but yeah. He's too late to help clinton and obama doesn't need him...

at this point. Before super tues would have helped

[scheming daemons]

4. Too late to matter.... he made himself irrelevant to this campaign.

...

[shadowknows69]

5. It's about reached that point

[Demobrat]

6. Who cares?

The guy is not a kingmaker, and his supporters have minds of their own.

[juajen]

7. No, I think he will jump on Hillary's bandwagon, and speed it up a

little. I would love some John Edwards about now. I miss him and Elizabeth.

Or, he will not endorse at all. I do not think he will endorse Obama.

[Renew Deal]

8. I don't know, but he won't jump on the titanic.

A big bonus of Obama's win in Wisconsin is it neuters Edwards.

[BeyondGeography]

36. Well said

[demo dutch]

11. I certainly hope not!!!

[Justyce]

13. Ditto. nt

[Orangepeel]

12. Edwards missed the chance to endorse

If he wanted to, he should have done it earlier. I'm sure that either Obama or Clinton would welcome the endorsement, but it would be better for Edwards and his message not to do it now. He shouldn't endorse Obama (although I wish he would have) because it would look opportunistic. He shouldn't endorse Clinton because there is a growing chance that she won't win.

[Occam Bandage]

14. Wouldn't matter either way. He waited too long.

[JeanGrey]

15. I am hoping that Edwards will be VP.

[BuyingThyme]

17. That would be pretty sweet.

[karynnj]

35. I seriously doubt that will happen

By all accounts, Edwards did not like being the VP nominee in 2004. In addition to not liking it, he refused to play the role more than anyone in my lifetime - even proudly refusing to use the campaign's slogan - believing his own fans that he knew better than Kerry, who had easily defeated him, on how races are won. Kerry could not have predicted this lack of cooperation as there was nothing in Edwards' Senate or campaign experience that suggested this. I'm sure Obama personally saw much of this and will take it into consideration.

[Divine Discontent]

16. he apparently wasn't going to endorse unless Obama wanted him to

before Ohio and Texas, but how do we really have any idea. And those first several commenters to this question you pose are so acidic, I hope they don't act this way in the GE and scare away voters from Barack. These are the very type of comments that turn off real people from a candidate, the "gotcha" smarmy comments. Obama speaks of unity and hope - why the HELL doesn't his most vocal supporters on here behave the same?

[nomorewhopper]

18. Yes I do think so.

Once Obama is the nominee, and I am of hte opinion that it's almost a done deal, Edwards and the rest will tow the party line.

I do not think Edwards will endorse soon, however I do think he's going to throw his name behind Obama at some point. Of course, by that time it won't really matter. I just can't see him putting the Edwards "stamp of approval" on the HRC campaign at this point in time.

[TexasObserver]

19. I suspect that John knows better than to endorse Clinton. She can't promise him anything ...

... Because she isn't going to win the nomination, so there's no promise she can deliver on.

He can endorse Obama, but Obama doesn't need his endorsement very much, if at all, and therefore likely makes no offer of significance to John. It's the classic horns of the dilemma for John's political ambitions.

If he is wise, he will try to become part of the group of senior party members who ask Hillary to shut it down and get out soon, which would elevate his long term status in the party. Sometime in the next few weeks, there will be a group that will tell Hillary if she doesn't concede and shut it down, they will actively work to finish this by garnering enough superdelegates to finish her off mathematically.

We might see Howard Dean, Al Gore, John Edwards, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and a dozen other top Democrats simply tell her it's over, or they will help Obama deliver the coup de grâce. She doesn't want to go out like a bull in a bull fight.

If he publicly endorses Hillary, he's finished in Democratic politics, because he's jumping on a ship that is rapidly sinking. If he publicly endorses Obama, he draws the enmity of all her voters, and of his voters who don't like Obama. He can't deliver 25% of his voters to either candidate, if that. Not this late. If he had endorsed before Super Tuesday, he could have made his best deal, but by waiting, he lost his bargaining position.

His wise choice is to join the party seniors, and became part of the Gang of 10 or 12 or 16, who see to it that Hillary ends it voluntarily. If she loses Texas, they will ask her to shut it down for the good of the party and American. John wants to be on the right side of that, and if he does, he'll get a good spot giving a speech in the convention. If not, he'll be a pariah if he endorses Hillary, on the hopeless hope of garnering some plum appointment.

[FrenchieCat]

22. Reasonable Analysis.

Will just have to see.

That's the fun part!

Doesn't seem like the AP reports that Edwards was "leaning" Hillary helped Hillary in Wisconsin very much, if at all.

But then the meeting with Obama and the man-hug excellently executed was good for Obama, to a point....I do think.

[TexasObserver]

26. I was for John all of last year and this one until he bailed, which surprised me.

In 2006, I was hoping for Al Gore to announce and would have gotten behind him. When it became obvious that he wouldn't run, I hoped Russ Feingold would run, although I didn't think he would and didn't think he'd get the nod. So when a year ago rolled around, and Hillary was being anointed front runner, I thought John had the best chance of stopping her in Iowa first, and held that belief until Obama took Iowa. At first I thought Obama had pulled off a miracle win in Iowa, but wouldn't have the ground game to carry the winning to many states. I badly underestimated him and his organization, which is really good.

Because I want badly to win the White House and redirect America, I felt that John was our best shot at winning in November. But after Iowa's second place finish, John could never break about 20% in party polls and events, and he was finished when South Carolina went south on him.

I expected him to get on the Obama bandwagon before super Tuesday, but he held off.

Everyone I know underestimated Obama's ability to raise money, to garner quality activist supporters, and to run an organization that is simply light years better than Hillary's. She's stuck in 1996, and Obama is 2008 and rolling. It's a tsunami, and it's not over yet.

John is a great guy, and I like him a lot. He is my first choice for the first Supreme Court position that comes available. If O can give us super majorities in the House and the Senate we can put John on the SC, and there he will be a progressive stalwart for the next 30 years.

[FrenchieCat]

28. Supreme Court would be be good for John........

I'd like that!

[TexasObserver]

31. He would be awesome on the Court and would kick ass for 30 years.

He's a trial lawyer. He understands how important each ruling is, and what its real impact will be. He could do so much good for civil rights and civil liberties there, as well as keep viable causes of action needed against globalist interests.

[TheDonkey]

23. that's his best bet. Very realistic strategy for him you laid out

and I believe it to be true. Edwards is a politician first and foremost and these considerations are very important.

[TheDonkey]

24. what about RICHARDSON. I heard he was going to announce

Is this true? Very interesting he's been waiting in the bushes so long since he was a Clinton man.

[TexasObserver]

29. Richardson and Biden are two of those whom might be in the Gang of 10 or 12 or whatever.

I think he may hold off, but Bill R. could come in for Obama.

Think about this group and think about where they might end up in an Obama Cabinet:

Edwards
Richardson
Biden
Dodd
Pelosi
Kerry
Gore
Kennedy

That's not a complete list, because we will likely see a couple of female senators or governors appointed to head agencies. I could see Biden at Defense and Richardson at State. Edwards on the Court. Gore at EPA.

Assuming Obama picks my first choice for his ticket, Jim Webb, for VP, O could put together the kind of solid Cabinet and Supreme Court that would serve us very well. Wherever there are Democratic governors in states we have Democratic senators, like Massachusetts, we could have Teddy and Kerry appointed to key Cabinet spots, and still hold their senate seats.

We have a wealth of talent, and those people I've mentioned will be some of the members of that Cabinet. I hope John does not bite at whatever big plum Hillary offers, because it's fool's gold, and he will walk into the punch.

[Political Heretic]

21. Hillary could announce Edwards as her running mate NOW and it might turn the tide for her.

I'm just saying -- she's got to do something radical or she's done for.

[FrenchieCat]

25. I'm not sure if Edwards being VP candidate again would ignite

real momentum for Hillary. I kinda of doubt it.

To watch Edwards cozying up to the Status Quo candidate and her hubby would look rather odd, IMO.

[Political Heretic]

39. That's a good point.

Yeah... nothing else to say. Good point, could be right

[TexasObserver]

30. Well, that would be the Queen's gambit. It didn't work for Reagan in 1976 with Schweiker.

I don't think that could do it. First and foremost, the corporatists who consider Hillary their hedge bet in case McCain loses hate John Edwards. He was Public Enemy Number One of the presidential candidates. Second, it wouldn't garner enough votes for Hillary to turn it around. Third, John would be reviled by half or more of his supporters and former supporters for having gone over to the dark side. Fourth, Elizabeth would leave him. Fifth, he has to know she will drag him down with her.

[SoCalDem]

32. Edwards' 26 delegates are probably moot anyway.

He might as well sit the whole thing out, and let them vote any way they choose (which they will anyway).. Edwards would make a good Attorney General:)...or head of HHS

[ray of light]

33. Edwards waited to long. Too many 'job interviews' w/Clinton & Obama

and by doing those job interviews and waiting, he made his own endorsement appear tainted.

Though I hope he kept pushing single-payer health care to both candidates.

[QC]

37. I hope not. n/t

[LWolf]

38. That's what Democrats jump in '08 instead of sharks, lol.

Where they are able to set aside issues in order to enter that state of euphoric bliss that comes with "inspiration," when "inspiration" needs no foundation.

Edwards, ready to jump the obama bandwagon? I don't know. I hope there are a few people out there who will remain solidly planted on issues.