Goodbye Rudy; John Edwards

Reports say that both John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani will both end their campaigns to become the presidential nominee from their respective parties. I'm not surprised about the John Edwards exit as he never stood a legitimate chance to become the Democratic nominee for president. However, the Giuliani fall has been somewhat surprising considering I predicted him to be the Republican candidate.

Giuliani's downfall started with the public's examination of his personal life. Rudy's marital issues and parenting problems have become somewhat well-known and presented a moral dilemma for the right wing party. His somewhat liberal social agenda also presented serious issues for his primary campaign in which voters tend to be further right than in the general election. Rudy's only real issue to which he could claim some victory would be homeland security but that obviously wasn't enough for the Republican party. This leaves a battle between Romney and McCain, in which McCain has taken the upperhand. At the end of the day though, I wonder if McCain is truly any more conservative than Giuliani. If McCain is the eventual nominee, the Republican party has taken a serious jump towards the left.

Speaking of the left, Edwards demise has been a longtime coming. Hanging in the teens, Edwards commanded loyalty from only the most left of the Democratic party. His talk of the plight of the poor may have been noble to some but coming from a man who has made his fortune by taking advantage of those who have been victimized seems a bit hypocritical. Edwards is withholding his support for Obama or Clinton but, if he makes a move between now and Super Tuesday, his support could tip the Democratic nomination. I'm sure both candidates are courting his support and I would tend to believe he would lean towards Obama. I'm not sure if Edwards is interested in another shot at the vice presidency or not but I think he would harm the ticket is he is 2nd in command.

Things should be interesting over the next few days as Super Tuesday approaches. A bleary picture should clear up following the primaries next week and we may be able to see for sure who will be the presidential candidates in November. At least I hope so...