John Edwards: The Natural

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And so once more Edwards burned his boats and went for broke. In the fall of 2003, faced with a choice of running for re-election in North Carolina or trying for President, he opted for the latter, an utter long shot. Edwards raised a lot of money, mostly from other trial lawyers, and made very few mistakes, but at every critical juncture he was overshadowed by his more erratic rivals: first, when retired General Wesley Clark jumped into the race the same day Edwards announced his candidacy, and later when he came roaring out of Iowa in second place on the night Howard Dean let loose with his famous scream. Edwards was drowned out each time. Sensitive about his scant experience, he published a 60-page booklet full of plans and proposals, far more detailed than those of any other Democrat. He could be withering in his critique of the Bush team, but he carefully clung to the high ground when discussing his rivals, keeping the door to the vice-presidential nomination open.

But his chief contribution to the race was the Speech: a distillation of what he saw as the nation's condition, which he called "the two Americas"--one, for the wealthy, privileged and connected, where there are good jobs and affordable health care and good schools, and another for everyone else. "Today under George W. Bush, there are two Americas: one America that does the work, another that reaps the reward. One America that pays the taxes, another America that gets the tax breaks. One America--middle-class America--whose needs Washington has long forgotten, another America whose every wish is Washington's command." It was a great speech for a Democratic audience, but it couldn't lift him to the nomination.

At least not at the top of the ticket.

--With reporting by Perry Bacon Jr. and Karen Tumulty/Washington and Mitch Frank/Robbins