Edwards opens door wider to veep bid

John Edwards said today he'd accept an offer to run with Barack Obama this November.

Published July 8, 2008 6:54PM (EDT)

Escaping for a few moments from the tyranny of the War Room and my laptop, I happened to hear a portion of NPR's "Talk of the Nation" show, featuring an interview with John Edwards.

Asked, predictably, about his willingness to serve as Barack Obama's running mate, Edwards clearly said he'd do it -- or anything else -- if Obama asked him.

It was couched in the usual "don't expect it, haven't pursued it" disclaimers, but unless I'm missing something, this represents a change from Edwards' previous line that he'd "seriously consider" an offer if tendered.

The audio and transcript of the interview aren't available yet, but I'm sure others heard what I did, and reached similar conclusions.

Unless I misunderstood (always a possibility), or Edwards subsequently backtracks, you can expect some serious pressure on Obama to go with the North Carolinian, particularly now that fellow Southern populist Jim Webb has taken himself out of the running.


By Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is the managing editor of The Democratic Strategist, a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and an online columnist for The New Republic.

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