John Edwards on Popular Decisions

From Boston.com:

""Although they haven't done squat yet, I would give (Iraq prime minister Nouri al-Maliki) and the Sunnis at least few months to reach a compromise. But they've got to know there's a deadline," he said.

He repeated his stance that Congress should not submit any Iraq funding bill to President Bush unless it includes a timetable for withdrawing troops.

"All the Democrats have to do is what America wants them to do," he said later in Hampton. "It's not like they're taking some unpopular decision. I think we ought to be willing to take an unpopular position if it's the right thing to do, but this is not an unpopular position, this is what America actually wants to have done."

At all his stops, Edwards emphasized that Democrats should use every tool available, including filibusters, to push for a timetable for withdrawal.

"George Bush is not going to do anything different unless he's made to do something. He's bull headed. He thinks he's incapable of making mistakes, and he's made some very serious mistakes," he said."

First, he should make references to President Bush. The office still matters.

Next, Edwards should know a bit about popularity. Popularity is what his opponent in North Carolina enjoyed as he was drubbing Edwards out of the Senate. In America, one can lose one's senate seat and still take high paying jobs with financial firms and later run for president. In the larger picture, a loss in Iraq doesn't bode well for the losers. Al-Qaeda understands that well.

Edwards has a right to say foolish things. And the voters, as demonstrated in many polls, have the right to select his opponents as the Democratic nominee. The only question at this point is how long can Edwards milk the exposure he's receiving as a candidate. We can only hope that it won't be much longer. It is hard enough getting our enemies to take our leadership seriously when our leaders are constantly under attacks. Add to that a couple of bufoons, one who wants to attack Pakistan and another who wants to surrender as we are winning, and we have a hard time ahead.