Edwards' State of the Union "Prebuttal"

From CBS News' Aaron Lewis:

NASHVILLE, TENN. -- John Edwards echoed the same condescension professed earlier today in Chattanooga for President Bush and his upcoming State of the Union address this evening at a local Steelworkers Union rally in Nashville.

Edwards said that Bush's plan to stimulate the nation's economy, a case for which the president is expected to argue in tonight's speech, does not do enough to help those who need it the most.

"Even he and his people admit it's gonna take months for this stimulus to actually kick in," said Edwards before a buoyant crowd of over 400 people. "The truth of the matter is, it is so important that between now and January of 2009 that we stand up to this president, that we stand up for what's right, that we don't let him continue to make it so hard for the middle class."

Earlier in Chattanooga, Edwards said, "I think a lot of us know what the state of the union is."

"And the president will walk into the Congress, to the United States House of Representatives, and he'll give a speech about his stimulus plan to try to stimulate the economy.

"And you know what'll happen is he'll go in there and the Congress - who kinda quit listening to him a while back - but they'll all stand up, cheer, clap. You know, the truth is that Washington is out of touch with what's happening here in the real world."

Economic injustice isn't the only thing Edwards is fighting today in Tennessee. Earlier in Chattanooga, Edwards confessed that he was feeling a little "under the weather." Spokesman Mark Kornblau confirmed that Sen. Edwards is, in fact, fighting a cold.