Edwards Drops Out

(CBS)

From CBS News' Aaron Lewis:

NEW ORLEANS -- And with a forceful drive of a hammer to the head of a nail, John Edwards's 2008 presidential run was over.

"Today, I am suspending my campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency," he declared during a ten minute speech in the Musicians Village in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where homes are being built for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The setting was fitting for a man who strived to inject the issue of poverty into the presidential race.

"We don't turn away from a neighbor in their time of need," he said. "The American people have never stopped doing this, even when their government walked away, and walked away it has from hardworking people, and, yes, from the poor, those who live in poverty in this country."

Following his speech, Edwards and his family assisted members of Habitat For Humanity in nailing shingles and porch rails to newly-built homes.

The big question now turns toward which of his two former rivals – Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - Edwards will endorse for the nomination. Edwards would not tip his hand, only to tell reporters, "I'm gonna talk with both of them and make a decision."

In his remarks, however, Edwards said he spoke to both candidates and asked that they each focus more on the poor in America

"They have both pledged to me and more importantly through me to America, that they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency," he said.

"And more importantly, they have pledged to me that as President of the United States they will make ending poverty and economic inequality central to their presidency. This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage in this cause."

Now that Edwards is done with the rigors of the campaign race, he said he didn't know what he would do next.

"Carolina plays basketball tomorrow," Mrs. Edwards reminded her husband.

"Is that true?" he asked. "Is it at home?"

"Yea," she replied.

"All right, that works," he replied with a grin.

"A game you weren't gonna be able to see," Elizabeth added. "We'll have to tape the Democratic debate."

Edwards let out a laugh and sighed as he stood in near a spot where he announced his candidacy in December 2006, where now his campaign had finally come full circle

"That's right," he said in his moment of epiphany. "I would have been in the debate."

[katefranklin]

Edwards was upstaged by the celebrity campaigns of Clinton/Obama. Just as the three actually experienced candidates (Biden, Dodd, and Richardson) were annihilated by the Clinton disinformation machine. It is ashame because Edwards was consistently ahead of the curve in the ideas game. I will cross my fingers that he returns as Barack Obama''s running mate.

[miketven]

I must convey my appreciation for the manner in which Mr. Lewis was able to cover the Edwards campaign so fairly and unbiased. I cannot explain how relieving it is to know that there are still some true journalists out there. THANK YOU, Mr. Lewis. It was a pleasant surprise to hear you speak on CBS Radio immediately following Edwards'' announcement; you truly are gifted at what you do, and your respect for the integrity of journalism is evident in your work. There is no doubt in my mind that we will continue to hear your name for years to come. I can only hope that the people at CBS News realize what a strong asset they have in you.

[logicgreg]

With all due respect to Mr. Trippi,he is overrated. He couldn''t get it done for Dean, and is playing the role of a victim. John Edwards should also sue his management team for malpractice. Why run as the advocate of the little guy, given three issues that he couldn''t change:

*Lifestyle
His 28,000 square foot house, $400 haircuts, work for a hedge fund, (many of which short stocks and utilized complex derivative products which may be linked to subprime mortgages.)Just the association with hedge funds is unwise!
*Votes during his unimpressive Senate Career
WTO - Outsourced jobs to China, made products less competitive, undermined currency, and did not protect our kids from lead in their toys
Bankrupcy - where was the fight!
The War Vote- where was the fight!
*Past Performance
Kerry beat Bush, but Cheney handed Edward his butt in the 2004 run. Biden or Clinton would have been a better VP that would have brought the fight to Cheney and won. In summary, Edwards was a weak candidate whose lifestyle and past votes didn''t match the fighter that he portrayed himself to be on the stump. Edwards was a legend in his own mind and a distraction. Go Hillary!

[doctordonut-2009]

We will miss John Edwards...

http://www.theweeklydonut.com/index.php/category/oprahma/

[pmorlan]

Mr. Lewis, as an Edwards'' supporter I''m very disappointed that Senator Edwards suspended his campaign today. And even though he is no longer in the campaign my boyfriend and I will both still vote for him in our May primary.

I want to thank you again for covering Edwards'' campaign the way the rest of the media should have done. And if it means anything to you please know that there are at least two citizens who recognize that you did your job well as a journalist. Good luck to you. We hope you never let the cynical cocktail party crowd convince you to lower your standards just because they have lowered their own. Stay true to the heroes of your profession.