Edwards giving up Presidential race

Via Alternet:

Denver (AP) Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voter's sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.

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~Wordless Wednesday is below~

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John Edwards warns congress about health care...

John Edwards' ad in Iowa

Good for you John!! I'm liking you more and more.

Correction from Factcheck.org: John Edwards' new ad says that when he's in the Oval Office, he'll tell Congress to act within six months to make sure all Americans have health insurance or "I'm going to use my power as president to take your health care away from you."

First he's going to have to throw out the Constitution, though. No president has the power to strip lawmakers and Cabinet members of their health coverage. Health insurance is a benefit granted to federal employees (including members of Congress) by law, not by executive fiat, as we've said before.

theteach

Obama edges out Clinton in Iowa

Via Bloomberg.com:

Obama, Romney Lead Nomination Race in Iowa, Newsweek Poll Finds

By Nadine Elsibai

Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Barack Obama holds an edge over his competitors among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads among Republicans, a Newsweek magazine poll showed.

Obama, of Illinois, was backed by 28 percent of those surveyed followed by New York Senator Hillary Clinton with 24 percent, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards at 22 percent and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson with 10 percent, according to the poll. The survey of Democrats who were classified as likely to attend party nominating caucuses has a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percentage points.

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The margin of error suggests Obama, Clinton, and Edwards are virtually in a dead heat. Can you tell whom I am leaning toward?

theteach

Thanks to Electronic Village for the idea for the post :)

John Edwards announces his wife's cancer

Listened to NPR in the car on the way home today when John Edwards announced that his campaign will go on despite the fact that his wife's cancer has returned. Elizabeth was there with him when he spoke suggesting that she goes along with his decision. She has a return of cancer and now it's incurable and it's in a rib bone. However, she said it is highly treatable and will be.

Faced with questions about how his wife's illness affected his political future, Edwards said he will pursue his 2008 bid for the presidency, but: "Any time, any place I need to be with Elizabeth I will be there — period." (CBS News)

They both sounded calm and serious and hopeful (or at least they said they were hopeful). They said they had delayed the announcement so that they could tell their family members before telling the public.

I couldn't help feeling, though, that the Edwards's are going to have to proceed day by day...who's to say how easy this is going to be on Elizabeth and the rest of the family and the former Senator himself? It remains to be seen. They will be in my thoughts.

theteach