One Hug at a Time

One key advantage Edwards is counting on: people know who he is. His retooled stump speech takes ironic jabs at his old campaign persona. ("There is the chance that at least one of you remembers that I'm the son of a millworker," he told the Indianola audience.) His advisers learned in 2004 that the hardest hurdle a candidate faces is simply getting voters to remember his name. That's not a problem in Iowa anymore, they say. "A Warner or Evan Bayh would have to spend $30 million to get where Edwards is," says an aide who asked not to be identified speaking about a still unannounced campaign. Other campaigns point out that a figure as well known as Edwards will have a hard time redefining himself.

Lowered expectations could also help Edwards's chances. In '04, he was billed as Bill Clinton's second coming, and many audiences were disappointed when they saw the real thing. Now he simply has to show more ability to connect with audiences than, say, Hillary or Mark Warner--a somewhat easier hurdle to scale.

Soon, he'll start inching back toward the limelight. This fall, Elizabeth will publish a memoir; publicity plans include an excerpt in People magazine and major television appearances. But Iowa looms largest, and as the caucuses get closer, Edwards will have to take bigger steps to prove he really is a new man. After his Indianola speech, Edwards disappears into the star-struck crowd of well-wishers. "I really hope you'll get in again," a woman wearing an iowans for edwards 2008 button says to him. "Thank you, ma'am," the former senator replies. "Yes," she says, "and I hope you'll really fight this time."

© 2006