Why Edwards Hasn't Endorsed

According to John Heilemann at New York Magazine, the reason Edwards hasn't endorsed is because neither of the candidates won him over as being deserving of his endorsement.

But now two months have passed since Edwards dropped out—tempus fugit!—and still no endorsement. Why? According to a Democratic strategist unaligned with any campaign but with knowledge of the situation gleaned from all three camps, the answer is simple: Obama blew it. Speaking to Edwards on the day he exited the race, Obama came across as glib and aloof. His response to Edwards’s imprecations that he make poverty a central part of his agenda was shallow, perfunctory, pat. Clinton, by contrast, engaged Edwards in a lengthy policy discussion. Her affect was solicitous and respectful. When Clinton met Edwards face-to-face in North Carolina ten days later, her approach continued to impress; she even made headway with Elizabeth. Whereas in his Edwards sit-down, Obama dug himself in deeper, getting into a fight with Elizabeth about health care, insisting that his plan is universal (a position she considers a crock), high-handedly criticizing Clinton’s plan (and by extension Edwards’s) for its insurance mandate.

Well...there you go. Actually that makes a lot of sense to me, because I feel pretty much the same way. Neither of them champion the same message as Edwards, so why would he endorse?

Of course, I want the Dems to win, and I think either of them has a pretty much equal chance of beating McBush.

Obama probably has a slight edge over Clinton in November, but I don't see it as particularly significant. They each have their own set of strengths and weaknesses in that regard.

I'll support which ever of them gets the nomination. I've voted in the primary already. It's out of my hands, and I don't feel like I have a dog in this fight other than wanting the Democrat to ultimately win in November.

That's a good article by Heilemann. It's not a mash note to either of them, and he makes a good point that Clinton isn't going to drop out because some unidentified "party elder" is going to advise her to do so. She'll leave the race when and if the time is right for her to exit in a politically expedient and face saving manner.