John Edwards is such a good Democrat that he even defends his opponent against the Repubs. Kerry's not that big a man...he would leave him out to dry, just as he did his fellow Vietnam veterans:
CNN Washington Bureau
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Posted: 6:42 PM EST (2342 GMT)
Democratic candidates John Edwards and John Kerry were not in any of the three states holding contests Tuesday.
Watch for live coverage of the results of Tuesday's caucuses in Hawaii and Idaho and the primary in Utah -- and reactions to President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage -- throughout the evening on CNN-USA.
Jobs and trade are two major planks in Sen. John Edwards' campaign platform.
Bush takes on Democratic critics
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In contests that largely have been overlooked by the candidates, voters in three states decide Tuesday who they want to see as the Democratic presidential nominee.
The contests -- already overshadowed by next week's much larger March 2 "Super Tuesday" lineup -- were further eclipsed by President Bush's proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution so that same-sex marriages would be effectively banned.
The Democratic candidates spent much of the day answering questions about the White House announcement.
Hawaii and Idaho are holding caucuses and Utah is holding a primary. A total of 61 delegates are at stake, just 3 percent of the total needed to win the nomination at the Democratic nominating convention in July.
In a sign of how little attention these contests are getting, not one of the major Democratic presidential hopefuls were in any of those three states Tuesday.
Going into Tuesday's caucuses and primary, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has the most victories under his belt.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has claimed second place in the Democratic race by virtue of his victory in South Carolina and his strong finish behind Kerry in Wisconsin and through his spirited campaigning.
There has been little in the way of pre-primary spin from any of the campaigns, suggesting no one expects Tuesday night's results to alter the political landscape significantly.
Instead, the campaigns -- particularly those of Kerry and Edwards -- have devoted their time and resources to several of the 10 states holding primaries or caucuses one week from today.
That "Super Tuesday" lineup has the potential to place Kerry even farther ahead of his rivals or give new momentum to Edwards' dogged effort to win the nomination.
Kerry was in New York and Ohio on Tuesday, two of the Super Tuesday states. Edwards campaigned in Georgia, also on the March 2 lineup. He was also due to campaign in Texas, which holds its primary March 9.
Bush never mentioned Kerry by name in his speech, but it was clear the president was treating the four-term senator from Massachusetts as if he would be the eventual Democratic nominee.
That approach caught the attention of Edwards. His campaign released a written statement declaring "not so fast," revising a line that Edwards used during a recent debate when Kerry spoke as if he was the nominee.
"George Bush doesn't get to pick our nominee, and he doesn't get to decide what this election is about," Edwards said. "This president is so bankrupt of ideas that he can't even wait until the Democrats pick a nominee before he starts drudging up the past and slinging mud." |
