[Alberta's Child]

I don't think so. There was a very informative article in National Review a few months ago right after he dropped out, and all indications are that his political career is over, or at least on hold. He decided not to run again for the U.S. Senate because he was almost certain to lose, and when you add up his delegate totals you realize that he got more media coverage for a guy with 15% of Democratic voters than anyone else would have gotten.

[varina davis]

Well, I'm no seer, but Edwards has had an almost meteoric rise in politics and he did get there by being dumb and uninformed. I sure wouldn't count him out.

Plus, just look at the bunch of has beens in the Democrat party who aspire to high office. Not a whiff of charisma among them.

[smonk]

(did he get 15%? I though he won SC, and that was it)

you can't judge too much by media attention. the national
media WILL cover the horse race aspect of a primary election;
they can't help themselves. it's in their DNA. And there
can't be a horse race without at least two horses.

Edwards is a bleeder. he's the straggler kid in a slasher
movie; you just KNOW that he's not going to make it to the
end of the movie.

the media made him into a contender for their own selfish
purposes, not because he really was a contender.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Actually if Edwards wants to maintain higher aspirations, dropping out of the Senate is not necessarily a bad idea. He could go the Carter route, spending the next few years building up and running a high-profile charity. Lots of positive pub opportunities, 'altruistic man of the people' image builder, without the negatives of 6 more years of on the record Senate votes, yet he still can claim that he already has national political experience(thus 'qualified'). Especially if Kerry loses and the GOP retains the Senate, there will be a major housecleaning(wait, this is the left, make that a purge) of the Dem party, which he gets to sit out fairly unscathed and then jump in front as an evolved 'new leader' for the Dems.