For Edwards second in Iowa is a victory

Sen. John Edwards entered the hotel ballroom at 9:30 p.m. like a prizefighter, walking along a 30-foot catwalk in front of several hundred supporters while pumping his fists into the air and grabbing at outstretched hands as though they were religious offerings.

The room had all the energy of a victory dance, never mind that Edwards didn't win. When you're expected to fail, coming close can be good enough.

Edwards, who doggedly followed a strategy of disengagement from his Democratic rivals, reveled in his second-place victory at a celebration in a second-floor ballroom of the Renaissance Savery Hotel here. The senator from North Carolina described his success as an affirmation of his positive approach to the campaign.

"I came here a year ago with the belief that we could change this country, with the belief that the politics of what was possible, the politics of hope, could overcome the politics of cynicism," Edwards told supporters. "The people of Iowa tonight confirmed that they believe in a positive, uplifting vision to change America."

Going into caucus night, Edwards could already claim a partial victory based on the last-minute surge of interest that propelled him over the past two weeks from political irrelevance to the national spotlight.

"Edwards has vastly exceeded expectations and finally hit the radar screen of national attention. He now is seen as a player," said Dennis Goldford, chairman of the political science department at Drake University. "It gives him a boost."

"It's not an accident," Edwards said in his hotel suite as the caucus results came in. "I think it will propel us going into New Hampshire and subsequent states."

Edwards' challenge now is to try to prove that the stroing finish was not a fluke, a function of an electorate that turned to Edwards' positive campaign out of pique at negative tones from many of his rivals.

Edwards has raised about $20 million, while Dean has raised more than $40 million and Kerry more than $28.5 million, including loaning his own campaign $6 million. The Edwards campaign declined to say how much money it has left after the Iowa caucuses, which are labor-intensive and expensive to compete in. But spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said Edwards, who is operating under the restrictions of the federal matching-fund program, budgeted $20 million through the Feb. 3 primaries and caucuses.

Edwards, who flew to New Hampshire late Monday, plans to spend most of the next week campaigning there, leaving for a fundraiser Tuesday night in New York City and a day campaigning in South Carolina later in the week.

Edwards had only four years in the Senate - and one political campaign - behind him when he announced a year ago that he was running for president. Any political campaign involves a mix of strategy, calculated gambles and a reliance on events unforeseen tumbling your way.

Edwards staffers say their game plan in Iowa was to quietly stitch together a network of supporters, while slowly increasing his name recognition through relentless campaigning. Edwards has visited all 99 Iowa counties in the past year.

The hope was to have the groundwork in place to build momentum in the last week or two, and finish high enough - a "competitive fourth" - to propel efforts in New Hampshire, where Edwards also hopes to do well before heading to South Carolina, Oklahoma and five other states holding contests Feb. 3.

Edwards, the smooth talking southern drawled shyster is a real THREAT. The "two Americas" stump speech (your pathetic life of misery, failure, and grinding poverty, and the other America--which he neglects to mention is his America) really has appeal as delivered in his trial lawyer trained earnestly appearing, fully haired, while intensely gazing into the questioners eye with a slightly cocked head--has real appeal to the women. They are swooning and tugging at his coat. Some are delirious. My wife was exactly on the mark--his socialist themed crafted act can set the women in a frenzy with his smarm.

I watched these stage players closely here in Iowa. The other totally unreported story is the ditzyness of Mrs. Ketchup. She is an incoherent enviro-amnesia afflicted rambling bag-lady that will bore the socks of a squirrel. Kerry camp will shut her the heck up soon.

There are real concerns that Repub strategists best be dealing with soon--we have taken a real months long pounding out here and it has really dispirited much of the weak base. Come on Repubs you seem to have abandoned many (and I am angry at your apathy and ignorance)--rally those now that need the rallying (not me).

I totally agree with you assessment of Edwards.
We have to rally the GOP base. Being from NC, Edwards didn't have a prayer for reelection to the senate. So what does that tell ya? And NOW, He could end up being a force to be reckoned with. We can only hope Bill and Hill will dig up dirt (or manufacture it) to drop him in the polls, because we know the GOP higher ups won't do it. His speech last night, reminded me of typical Clinton, and that is SCARY!!!! Everything he said, all the class warfare rhetoric, will be believed by the uniformed Clinton lovers of America.

I don't know much about Edwards, but from what I can see he may indeed be the biggest threat to Bush's re-election.

If Bush has to fight hard to win in November, that's fine with me. Bush has a lot to answer for with his incredible ballooning federal spending and deficits. He shouldn't be able to coast to victory just because the Democrats nominate a nut like Dean or Clark.

Our country will be far better off with a sane Democratic Presidential candidate. Edwards appears to be sane. He is very liberal, but that's a given for any Democrat. We've survived liberal Presidents before, and we'll probably have to survive liberal Presidents again. What would really worry me would be a borderline mental-case like Dean or Clark or McCain gaining the White House.

The other thing I like about Edwards is that he seems to be deliberately avoiding the kind of slash-and-burn attack politics that have been commonplace among the other candidates. Of course he will severely criticize Bush if he gets the nomination, but it will be less personal and less of an effort to demonize and "Hitlerize" Bush. That would be a welcome change to our political discourse, even if it doesn't play well with the hard-left fanatics.

Edwards said he credited the success to his new hair style.

"It's not an accident," Edwards said in his hotel suite as the caucus results came in. "I think it will propel us going into New Hampshire and subsequent states."

Seriously, folks, he got a shorter hair cut so he wouldn't be brushing it out of his eyes every five seconds like the pretty-boy he is, and at that point started rising in the polls

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