John Edwards on Face the Nation this morning:
As a former Edwards supporter, I was disappointed by his decision to stay on the sidelines during March and April.
But with the nomination process essentially over, the challenge now is to unify the Democratic Party, and Edwards' perceived impartiality might actually prove to be an asset. Along with his wife Elizabeth, he does have real credibility with Clinton supporters at the grassroots and netroots level. I think that if (really, when) he comes out strong for Obama, a lot of people who supported Clinton will listen to him.
At this point, as Edwards says, we know it will be Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. The question now is how we end the campaign and unify as a party to take on John McCain. From what I saw today, John Edwards is ready to play a leadership role in helping that process along.
© Jed Lewison