And so it Begins: The 2008 Presidential Election

John Edwards entered the 2008 Presidential Race Thursday. One could say that Edwards kicked off the race yesterday. He is the first viable candidate to announce and his plan to dominate the election news cycle seems to be working well. A quick search of Yahoo! News complete coverage section of Presidential Politics shows nothing but Edwards stories. The coverage seems generally positive as well, reflecting on Edwards themes of community service and combating poverty. All in all a good start for a candidate who many have picked (yours truly included) to be the only viable anti-Hillary the Democrats have at this stage.

Barack Obama may draw the crowds, but he is young, he is inexperienced and in a country that still has some major racial issues, he is mixed race. No one wants to say it, but that factor makes him as polarizing a figure as Hillary Clinton. It is sad, but at this stage of American political life it is true. Now as a Vice Presidential candidate he would be a godsend. Attractive, articulate and loaded with charisma, he solidify the base for any Democratic Presidential candidate, all the while gaining stature for himself.

An Edwards/Obama ticket would be tough to beat, easily locking up the Democratic base with little effort. As for moderates, Edwards has shown the ability to run a positive campaign based on hopeful themes. He has demonstrated a willingness to talk about what America can do to fix its problems, rather than what his opponent can't or won't do. Moderates like that sort of campaign.

Finally, contrast the youthful vitality of an Edwards/Obama rally as it plays on the news versus a McCain/Romney event. Yes, polls show McCain handily beating any Democratic challenger now, but give voters a chance to get to know both the Democrat and the McCain that would emerge from a right-leaning Republican primary and those numbers could change rapidly. You see the McCain from 2000, the straight-talking rebel who tels it like it is, has been replaced by the party loyalist. That McCain would not have George W. Bush, or held his nose and voted for torture. This McCain did those things and that will hurt him with moderates in 2008.

This should shake out to be a very interesting Presidential cycle. There are attractive candidates on both sides with luck America will get a competent leader for the next four years. If nothing else they should get a good show.