John Edwards Withdraws

John Edwards has just announced his withdrawal from the race for the Democratic nomination in the place where he started that race - the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. I have to be completely honest - I wasn't expecting this decision at all. See my last post for the multitude of ways that Edwards still had a role to play going into February 5th and even beyond. He had the power to make king, but apparently that wasn't enough for John Edwards. I respect him for that decision, because it's the good decision of a good person, and not political.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but John Edwards is a good man. He's also a good candidate. It's just such a shame that he was running in this cycle against a woman and an African American. His contribution to the race has been substansive - he's talked about issues that few Democratic candidates in recent times have had the stomach to talk about. He speakes about poverty because noone else will. I wish he'd stayed in the race; I don't particularly relish the idea of a two person Democratic debate. That's going to be brutal, and there won't be a moderate Edwards voice to bring the conversation back to the issues.

Why did Edwards do this considering his options? Perhaps he wants Barack Obama to be nominated more than Clinton, in which case he was standing as something of an impediment to that (Edwards supports are likely to split to Obama who shares a similar message.) Without Edwards it's possible Obama gets a boost and can overcome Clinton. Perhaps he'll endorse another candidate and receive a reward because of that (a spot on the ticket as Vice President.)

I hope that we haven't seen the end of John Edwards. He's a crusader for important issues and his Two Americas theme resonates quite a lot. He wasn't going to win the nomination, but I think it's a shame he's dropped out now. I hope he'll continue to play a role in this campaign and not disappear off the radar, and I hope his voice in the Democratic Party continues to be heard.

Bless you and your campaign, John Edwards.

And now the race is down to two.