I actually think it makes a lot of sense that

I actually think it makes a lot of sense that John Edwards highlighted the differences between Democratic and Republican leadership at the DNC fall meeting today, as Kate reported. Edwards said, “If you want to (go to war with Iran, stay in Iraq, live without health care) …. then you should vote for the Republicans. If you want (universal health care, troops of out Iraq, a living wage) … then you vote for us.”

Sure, Democrats understand their party’s platform. But this kind of rhetoric strikes me as a smart way for the third place candidate to convince primary voters that he can unite his party and best articulate its strengths during the general election. Edwards is trying to prove he can rise above swiping at Clinton and Obama.

—Dana Goldstein

Dana Goldstein, a former associate editor and writer at the Prospect, comes from a family of public-school educators. She received the Spencer Fellowship in Education Journalism, a Schwarz Fellowship at the New America Foundation, and a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellowship at the Nation Institute. Her journalism is regularly featured in Slate, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Beast, and other publications, and she is a staff writer at the Marshall Project.