For the last two years, John Edwards, the former Junior Senator from North Carolina, Presidential Candidate and Vice Presidential Nominee, has been planning and working toward the announcement that will come next week.
I am a supporter. Three years ago, I got on-board early. I believed. I attended fundraisers and wrote checks and encouraged others to do so as well. I literally cheered as I sat home watching an early debate in Iowa, where John Edwards came on with a rush, vaulted almost overnight into major contender status and captured the attention of the nation.
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I gave John Edwards my vote. Twice. I was there at the Super Tuesday "Victory Party" at which we all knew he hadn't quite gotten over the hump and John Kerry had won the primary in my state. Later, I told Mr. Kerry (at another fundraiser) that he should choose John Edwards as his running mate, for which I received a nasty look, but he did follow my advice. (Presumably, there were a few others who offered the same advice.) I agonized through the general election campaign, astounded that John Edwards was kept locked down in such a secondary role. On election night, I was up very late (around 2:30 a.m., EST, as I recall) and saw him come out before the faithful at Faneuil Hall and announce the votes would be counted, only to then be stunned the next morning. I learned later that he had dissented from the decision to concede Ohio and give up the fight.
Of course, all that was then and This is Now.
Now, Iraq is the critical and defining issue.
The President wants to send in more troops. The Iraq Study Group, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and about 200 million non-brain dead American citizens think that may not be such a great idea.
The war grows more unpopular each day.
To be worthy of the Presidency, John Edwards must show leadership on this issue. Now.
Dammit, if John Edwards is going to send me an email (as he did today) asking me if I am ready, but not mentioning the War, not clearly addressing the role of our nation in the world, then I have to turn that question around:
Mr. Senator, Are You Ready?
Seriously, over 13 months ago, on Nov. 13, 2005, John Edwards did come out - sooner than others, but not soon enough - in an op-ed published by The Washington Post. But the "I was wrong" mea culpa was only a start.
Over at Consortium News, there is a some pointed advice and I could not agree more:
"...[N]ow is the time to draw a line in the sand, in clear and decisive terms."
Kerry is speaking out, Vilsack is speaking out, and even Hillary has joined the coulda-shoulda-woulda chorus.
So what are we hearing from John Edwards on stopping the War or the immorality of the War?
Not enough. Not nearly enough.
I view this as a huge issue of Leadership.
Here is the email I received today:
Dear david,
For the past two years, we've worked together to build an America that lives up to its promise -- one where we all share in prosperity at home and one that shows real moral leadership around the world.
I'm proud of our successes fighting poverty, supporting working families, and standing up for what we believe.
Now, we have a big decision to make -- and I do mean we.
I'm getting ready to take this effort to the next level - to bring Americans together in all fifty states to tackle the big challenges facing our country, from poverty and lack of health care, to energy and global warming.
But this is our effort, and we can only succeed if we're all in it together. So before I make a final decision, I need to hear from you:
Are you ready?
If you're ready to take this to the next level, and launch a renewed national effort to change America, send me a note and let me know:
JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com
If you have friends or family who share this vision, I want to hear from them too. Please forward this on to anyone you know who might want to join this big new effort.
I believe we can run a totally new kind of endeavor -- one that puts our ideals into action, and puts the hopes and dreams of the American people above the personal ambition and play-it-safe strategy of traditional politics.
I can't promise you where this will ultimately lead. But I can promise you this: if you're on board, we'll launch a renewed commitment to change our country from the bottom up. We'll always speak from the heart. And together, we'll reach out to millions of people to let them know it's still okay to dream big dreams, and do everything we can to make them real --because that's what America is all about.
So the only question is: Are you ready?
If you want to take this effort to next level, send me an e-mail and let me know:
JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com
Stay tuned: I'll let you know what we decide early next week.
Happy holidays, and may it be a bright new year for all.
Your friend,
John