Edwards's and Rudy's Blues

Just a little over 13 months after he first announced his intention to run for the presidency here in New Orleans, John Edwards decided to return to the Crescent City and bow out gracefully as a candidate for the Democratic nomination. Edwards, who was counting on a major win in his home state of South Carolina, saw the writing on the wall and determined that the battle was not his to fight any longer...that the two figures who would likely do battle with one another were named Hillary and Barack. It is a shame because I really liked Edwards, but I could plainly see that the wind had been taken out of sails over the last weekend. I'm sure he wouldn't admit that it was a factor, but his wife's continuing fight against cancer had to figure in his decision, even if it was a minor consideration. I know of what a distraction it is to have one's wife fighting cancer. I lived through two bouts of cancer while my wife was pregnant with our son and some nine years later. Regardless as to the reasons, Edward tried to put his best political foot forward in the face of less than spectacular returns, but it was probably too much for him to continue. Meanwhile, in Simi Valley, California a continent across from New York City, the city that Rudy Giuliani has called home, there played out another soap opera. Once considered the front runner, the former New York mayor also bowed out of the Republican nomination process, yielding to the much more robust and wealthy forces in the McCain and Romney camps, following his third-place finish in Florida. It seems odd that Giuliani was once considered the Republican front runner, but such has been the case this volatile political year. With the exit of both Edwards and Giuliani, the remaining players seem somehow larger in scope now that two of their more remarkable rivals have exited the playing field. As of today, with the possible exception of Michael Bloomfield (and I really believe it's too late for him to make a run for the presidency as an independent), only four viable candidates remain: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and John McCain. If anyone looks like he has the inside track right now, it's probably McCain, but don't count out Romney just yet. The battle between Clinton and Obama will take a bit longer to sort out after Super Tuesday. I don't know about you, but I am fascinated by it all.
Vote: For those of you who haven't done so, please consider voting in our straw poll (at right). We only have a little over a week left. Btw, for those of you who voted for Edwards, Giuliani or Fred Thompson for that matter, you can change your vote. That's pretty cool.