Sunday Night Politics Former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards is back ... but according to Newsweek, he has a new message.

Thirty-seven million of our people, worried about feeding and clothing their children," he said to his audience. "Aren't we better than that?" It's not the stuff of great sound bites, but it's part of Edwards's new political plan: a presidential campaign with fighting poverty as a central plank. It's a risky strategy in today's Democratic Party. Edwards may be the most viable national candidate since Bobby Kennedy to tie his destiny to a fight for the destitute. "Yeah, I heard all that stuff: 'Who cares?' or 'It's a dead end'," Edwards tells NEWSWEEK. "Well, it's what I want to do."

I have written about fragments in both parties before. The Democrats have allowed Joe Lieberman to create a civil war regarding his Senate primary August 8 in Conneticut. Edwards may be the dark horse in getting the attention of the Democratic party who can't seem to get it together. I go back to the Lieberman/Lamont race from the Hartford Courant.

It came as no surprise when Sen. Joseph Lieberman announced Monday he will petition his way onto the November ballot as an independent should he lose the Aug. 8 Democratic primary to challenger Ned Lamont. Politicians cling to power more ferociously than usual when their grasp is threatened. And modern U.S. politicians rarely leave the stage with grace.

When a candidate agrees to run on a party ticket, use that party ticket's money, then I believe there is an unwritten contract to concede to the outcome of that particular primary. To launch an independent campaign after a loss seems unfair and unethical to me. Sour Grape candidates are not the candidates I want representing me in elected office.  ¶ 7/09/2006 08:21:00 PM