Lindsay Beyerstein has explained why she likes Russ Feingold for 2008. Two of the major reasons she's put forward are his support for civil liberties and his liberal views on social issues. As one of the foremost Edwards supporters in the blogosphere, it falls to me to respond by describing the virtues of John Edwards on these two topics.
People are often surprised to learn about Edwards' opposition to the flag burning amendment. When the Constitutional Amendment to ban flag desecration reached the Judiciary Committee, Edwards was the only red-state Senator to vote against it. He was one of only two Senators from the old Confederacy to vote against it on the Senate floor in 2000. (The other one, Chuck Robb, was defeated that year, and George Allen used the flag vote to argue that Robb had lost touch with the citizens of Virginia.) Since the passage of the Patriot Act, Edwards has consistently argued for repealing or not renewing the most troubling provisions (many of the provisions were scheduled to 'sunset', or expire, in 2005).
