Elizabeth Edwards opens for her husband. "You're all family." "It's so fitting this event it staking place in an old mill." Enough with the damn mills. Everyone knows what John Edwards's father did. We get it. Really. Now he's entering to that "this is our country" song by John Mellencamp from the Chevy commercials. Says there's still 48 states to go. People chant "Edwards." So far it's playing as a carbon copy of his Iowa speech down to opening with the (very sad) story about Natalie Sarkisian. Annnd there's the cleft palate guy (I don't want to mangle the spelling of another name). These stories lose their punch after the tenth time you've heard them. "Teh question is not what we aspire too, the question is how do we get there... four years ago I spoke a great deal about the need for hope... the only question is whether we have the backbone and the will and the determination to go there." Again mentions the 99 percent of Americans who haven't voted yet. Someone apparently told him his Iowa speech was too long and he ends this one much quicker. It's a good decision. He exits to Bruce Springsteen (I think) which is a much better choice than anyone who ever used "cougar" as a middle name. It's also a better song. --Sam Boyd
