Edwards Claims Edge

John Edwards tells us what we already knew - he is running for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Edwards claims his experience as the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee gives him an edge over potential rivals. Maybe Edwards means the five of the remaining prospective 2008 Democratic presidential candidates - Clinton, Dodd, Obama, Richardson, and Vilsack, who not previously run for president.

Making his announcement dressed in jeans, Edwards called for the start of U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, argued that the U.S. should lead efforts to stop the genocide in Sudan and the atrocities in northern Uganda. He also blasted the "McCain doctrine" - increasing U.S. troop levels in Iraq, saying it would be an enormous mistake to escalate the war.

According to the Washington Post, Edwards favors withdrawing 40,000 to 50,000 troops from Iraq as a signal to Iraqis.

Edwards' campaign will be based upon class warfare, emphasizing "two Americas" -- haves and have-nots -- that he spoke about during his 2004 campaign. I find it very disingenuous when multimillionaires say they want to campaign on behalf of the downtrodden.

I have a hard time taking Edwards seriously. After campaigning practically nonstop for three years he has failed to raise enough money to pay the bills from his campaign for the 2004 nomination. How will he compete against Clinton, Obama and the other eight prospective Democratic candidates in fundraising?

Edwards' Campaign theme, "Tomorrow Begins Today!," took on added meaning when his campaign website mistakenly went live the day before it was scheduled to do so. That might explain the pre-announcement Edwards made the day before his official announcement. You can watch the pre- announcement below:



Cross-posted from California Yankee.