Matt Stoller titles his post "The Progressive John Edwards Should Run," implying a contrast between the North Carolina moderate who voted for the Iraq War and the Two Americas progressive who repudiated that vote and is calling for withdrawal. There's a lot to say here, but one thing to mention first is that Edwards' views on social issues have always been solidly progressive. His 100% NARAL rating and his 2000 vote against the Flag Desecration Amendment are especially impressive when you consider that he was a first-term Senator from North Carolina. The other Southern Democrat who stood up for freedom of speech that year, Sen. Chuck Robb, lost his Senate seat to George Allen. So when Stoller says, "Tell me one time he's risked a piece of his political career to stand up to the right. Give me one example of where he led, one fight where he had to prove he's with us," the pro-choice and free speech cases provide him with two. His role as one of the three Democratic Senators to manage the defense of Bill Clinton during the Senate impeachment trial might count as a third, although it turned out well enough. Still, it might've looked like a risky proposition for a Bible Belt Senator when it began.
But at a certain point in Matt's post, there seems to be a shift from ideological concerns to rhetorical ones:
