CNN: January 4, 2008
Clinton out of it, Edwards suggests
(CNN) — Democrat John Edwards seemed to suggest Friday Hillary Clinton's third place finish in Iowa may have rendered the New York senator effectively out of the presidential race. Speaking at an early-morning campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Edwards pointed to entrance polls indicating Iowa voters overwhelmingly listed "change" as the most important attribute they are looking for in a candidate. That means, he added, there are now only "two choices."
"What is clear is that (voters) are not interested in status quo," Edwards said. "They're interested in change. They want to see a candidate of change, and so they now have two choices in making that decision, and this choice is somebody who will fight for the change that makes America what it's capable of being."
Edwards also continued with his campaign’s standard populist pitch in the Granite State, telling Manchester voters, "I am not the candidate of glitz. I am not the candidate of glamor; nor do I claim to be. But what I am — I am the candidate for president of the United States that is the peoples' candidate."
The former senator struck a similar chord at a Nashua event later Friday. And in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Edwards sought to distinguish himself as a fighter for change while rival Barack Obama's approach is more "philosophical" and "academic."
Most current New Hampshire polls were taken before the Iowa caucuses, and show Edwards a distant third behind Clinton and Obama in the state. It remains unclear what effect his second-place showing on Thursday might have among Granite State primary voters....
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/04/clinton-out-of-it-edwards-suggests/