EDWARDS, LEFT-WING GOOD GUY
John Edwards personifies all the better angels of the Democrats' nature. Well, no, I'm exaggerating, I'm romanticizing him, succumbing to the myth-- but why not? Yeah, he's a trial lawyer, bilking large corporations for lots of money, of which he kept large amounts for himself, raising costs for the other little guys even as he helped a favored few. But hey, we've all got our faults. Here's Edwards, in the same interview as Kerry, remarking on the Bush-hatred-fest of celebrities that they attended in New York:

Edwards said scathing anti-Bush attacks such as the concert and Michael Moore's new film ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' reflect an ''expression by folks with genuine feelings,'' adding, ''Thank goodness in our country they have a right to express those feelings.''

A great line. I totally agree. He manages to sound nice while not condoning any of what was said-- and taking the opportunity to offer a welcome word of praise for freedom of expression in America, which, lo and behold!, continues to exist and thrive after three years of supposed Bush fascism.

There's a saying about socialists: "If you're not a socialist at 20, you've got no heart. If you're still a socialist at 50, you've got no brain." I think something along those lines applies to Edwards.

If you weren't an Edwards supporter in February, you've got no heart. If you're still an Edwards supporter in October, you've got no brain.

Only... I think I just might vote for Edwards in October, if he were at the top of the ticket. No, I don't believe there are "two Americas" in anything like the sense he talks about in his speeches. I don't believe that the state has a responsibility to help the poor or any of that. Safely tied to the mast by a Republican Congress, by ornery bond markets and by pundits and bureaucrats that have embraced the neoliberal state, we could enjoy the siren song of Edwards' soft-core Marxism for four years without (I trust) being lured into the jagged rocks of economic scarcity that would destroy if we actually listened to his advice. John Edwards is a representative of the noble, honorable left which has become so scarce of late.