Edwardses Join Anti-War Campaign Group

John and Elizabeth Edwards have thrown their support behind a new $20 million election-year campaign to press for a withdrawal from Iraq and tie the war to the faltering economy.

The Edwardses joined a conference call on Monday to discuss their efforts with the group, which includes MoveOn.org, the Service Employees International Union, VoteVets.org, and the Center for American Progress. John Edwards drew extensively from his time on the campaign trail, and spoke kindly of his former opponents who remain in the race. He claimed repeatedly that the American people will have a "very clear choice in the fall" between John McCain and the "Democratic president who will end this war."

Elizabeth Edwards, in traditional fashion, saved many of her choice words for media. Lamenting that reporters "certainly don't cover the connection between the issues," she said the American people see there is "undoubtedly a connection between oil, the costs of transportation in this country, and this war."

The effort, tentatively called Iraq Campaign 2008, intends to focus heavily on the domestic costs of a protracted Iraq war. "We have a limited amount of money and we're spending much too much of our available resources on this war," Elizabeth Edwards said. Grassroots organizing and national advertising will target members of Congress who back the war. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), John Sununu (R-NH), Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) topped the list of likely targets in the Senate. Rep. John Porter (R-NV) was the only name give in the House, though as Brad Woodhouse from Americans United for Change noted, "Most of the chickens have run out of the barn."

Two individuals also on the conference call -- John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress, and Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of SEIU -- are heading a Democratic-leaning 527 group expected to be very active in the 2008 presidential race.

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Update: The campaign kicked off today with the release of a new VoteVets.org TV ad critical of Senator John McCain. The ad features Iraq veteran Rose Forrest discussing Senator McCain's proposed 100 year commitment to Iraq and the cost here at home.

Comments

[bookish]

For the low down on what Bush hath wrought, read the essay "Fortunes of War" on Empire Burlesque.

[Ginzaman]

I used to have respect for Edwards and was a registered Democrat. Now I'm independent. How can Edwards in good conscience support any Democrats (from Howard Dean on down )after what they did to Kucinich and Gravel?

Also, will he show real guts and actually dare to say Amy Goodman's name in public? The last time she was on Hardball Matthews attitude was basically, f**k off, bitch.

Or better still, why not use his court experience and megamillions to show people, yes you can be a multi-party system and not have to go to court for the right to be heard? Then again, look what happened to Kucinich in neocon Nevada. Imagine what would have happened if CNN had banned Edwards.

[Ping]

You have to get 15% before you get respect.

[bucklaw]

Wrong answer, you compare getting a certain percentage of the vote with respect, a lot of people respect Edwards without that number. It is an artificial number created by the media.

[KarenZipdrive]

I love John and Elizabeth Edwards, and what they have to say will ALWAYS be relevant to this Yellow Dog Democrat.
And though the primaries are almost finished, I would definitely like to hear who Edwards would prefer. Unlike others, I think he actually has insight into Hillary and Obama that I do not.

[AustinDemocrat]

I absolutely agree!

[Savanarola]

If Edwards had ANY insight into Hillary and Obama, he would have endorsed Obama the day he quit. I was a big Edwards fan until he put his ass on EBay.

[mrdontplay]

anti war group application

1. Have you ever actually voted FOR a WAR?

[BrooklynLager]

Okay, THAT was funny.

[TekBoss]

So then ... Republicans aren't allowed eh?

[janicen]

Edwards is desperately trying to remain relevant. He waited too long to endorse either Democratic candidate in the primaries and now it doesn't matter. Nobody cares what John Edwards does now. He's just another former politician.

[BrooklynLager]

Let me guess....

Hillary 08?

[nanotubz]

No, idiot 08.

[TheKiddy]

@janicen

yucch

[mrcontinental]

Really? Vice-President or Attorney General is more like it.

[eatbees]

I'm not sure the reason Edwards is doing this is to impress you.

[BrooklynLager]

I really, really like the Edwardses.

[mrdontplay]

take another look.

start with the voter record.

They do not look so good on paper.

[SteveinSC]

Why are the evangelical christians supporting Huck? What part of rape, pillage, murder and mayhem would Jesus have endorsed. NONE!!!!!! John and Elizbeth Edwards are the true Christians! Fuck the evangelicals that support the war.

[nanotubz]

Those evangelicals will have an eternity of reaping what they have sown.

[mrcontinental]

It's in the Book of Revelations...it's called Armageddon. They really believe that fairy tale.

Nostradamus has more direct hits than the bible.

[piperson]

Edwards was the only Democratic candidate worth voting for in this cycle. The more I see of Obama and Clinton, the more I like Nader. This is another election where the progressive and populist have been culled already. Progressives who vote Democrat are going to be disappointed to find they threw away their vote again.

[BrooklynLager]

Unless you live in a state that's solid blue or red, please, please vote for the Democratic candidate? A McCain presidency is going to be such a horror.

I'll make a deal with you - if you vote for Obama or Clinton, I'll vote for Nader. I live in New York which goes Democrat every year anyway.

[lldem]

If you're going to vote for Nader, don't waste your time, just go ahead and vote for Sen. McCain. Who is funding Nader's campaign? Can he even get on the ballot in enough states to win? How many times has he pulled this Don Quixote stunt? Has he ever won a single electoral vote? The man is what is known as a spoiler; someone who knows he can't win so he tries to take out anyone else with a real chance. And the fact is he's a tool of the republicans.

[armadillious2002]

Amen - a spoiler bought and paid for with republican dollars.

[PTTY]

John Edwards said he made a mistake about his vote for the War.

Hillary cannot admit she was wrong about her VOTE FOR WAR. Her VOTE FOR WAR has helped to lose the lives of Our young women and men in Iraq and she cannot apologize for her Vote, not even to our Soldiers Families.

If you are running on your Husband's experience and I guess your Husband, the former President gave you poor advice to cast YOUR YEA VOTE FOR WAR.

Both JUDGMENTS were wrong, President Bill Clinton and Co-President Hillary Clinton

Obama was the only one who had the Good Judgment and was RIGHT ON DAY 1.

It sounds like John is siding with Obama not Clinton.

How in the world will Hillary be able to debate John 100 years McCain, when she had the same wrong VOTE ON DAY 1.

Heck, she cannot even run or Manage her Campaign with her 35 years of experience. She is in debt.

McCain could not manage or run his Campaign either. He lost money too so he is not qualified to run Our Government.

Obama's Fantastic Campaign is being touted by all, everyone is in wonderment. They say he had no experience to put this together ground up

Obama was READY and RIGHT on DAY 1

Obama had the Best Judgment on Day 1

[Nutcase]

Copy and paste has its place but it is possible to overdo it.

cognito ergo populistae

[Savanarola]

Dig into your nutBag and find some latin that makes sense...Esperanto no falking gute.

[ohnoyoudiint]

hello pity party, just want to say that you are my vote for most annoying, non-original, copy and paste spammer on huffpo. how much attention do you require?

[UNCLEJOE]

A vote for Obama is a vote for Edwards as Attorney General, Kucinich as Environmentalist, Dodd as Secretary of State, and Biden needs to be included. We had an excellent choice of democratic presidential candidates. And Obama as President will not only be the the most centrist spokesman but bright enough to take my advice. Did I leave out Richardson and Gavel ? There was one other candidate, but her name slips my mind just as she will slip into oblivion where she belongs.

[Nutcase]

Never happen.

Edwards doesn't need a job. Dodd belongs on The Hill as Senate Majority Leader. Biden would not work well under the constraints of serving someone else's administration. Richardson might go for SecState. Kucinich isn't seen as having the gravitas for a cabinet position. He serves better as a gadfly.

cognito ergo populistae

[DumbDad]

But let's face it, Hillary on the Supreme Court would be something of a hoot, and wouldn't it be fun to watch the perspiration rise on Republican brows at the mere mention of HER for Attorney General? It would be that Tamara gal from Titus Andronicus. "You will learn what it means to lead a queen through the gutters of your streets...!"

[Savanarola]

If Hillary were on the Court , Ruth Ginsburg would have to wear iron underwear when Bill visits.

[Pjsandiego]

This is really big news. This means that it is unlikely that John Edwards would be a running mate with Obama. He could not be associated with this group and then run on the ticket. This also means that he is unlikely to endorse until the convention if even then.
I hope- it is okay to hope- that he has a place in an Obama administration, like Attorney General or something neat like that.

But the absence of an endorsement to date; the joining of this group and perhaps his lack of any excitement about being a V.P., indicates that he's going to stand on the sideline. [He can't be crazy enough to endorse Clinton at this time, unless he has a Titanic Death Wish.]

[Nutcase]

The word is that Edwards has more problems with Obama than with Clinton, though neither are fully acceptable to him. I hope he refuses to endorse either but simply pledges to support the nominee.

He doesn't need a job. The only appropriate job for him in any cabinet would be Secretary of Labor. Actually, he should go to the poverty center he founded at Chapel Hill and try to do for poverty what Gore has done for the environment.

cognito ergo populistae

[PTTY]

John Edwards said he made a mistake about his vote for the War.

Hillary cannot admit she was wrong about her VOTE FOR WAR. Her VOTE FOR WAR has helped to lose the lives of young women and men and she cannot apologize for her Vote, not even to our Soldiers.

If you are running on your Husband's experience and I guess your Husband, the former President gave you poor advice to cast YOUR YEA VOTE FOR WAR. Both JUDGMENTS were wrong, President Bill Clinton and Co-President Hillary Clinton

Obama was the only one who had the Good Judgment and was RIGHT ON DAY 1.

It sounds like John is siding with Obama not Clinton.

How in the world will Hillary be able to debate John 100 years McCain, when she had the same wrong VOTE ON DAY 1.

Heck, she cannot even run or Manage her Campaign with her 35 years of experience. She is in debt.

McCain could not manage or run his Campaign either. He lost money too so he is not qualified to run Our Government.

Obama's Fantastic Campaign is being touted by all everyone in wonderment.

Obama was READY and RIGHT on DAY 1

[jwarrener]

John Edwards could collect huge speaking fees and maybe even write a book or two. Even if he did neither he has enough money not to worry about anything for the rest of his life. There is no political advantage to him to initiate this new undertaking SOOOOOOOO it just shows that in spite of what many doubting Thomases are saying JOHN EDWARDS is definitely a man dedicated to his beliefs.
Thank you, John and Elizabeth for caring about your country and trying to do something to make it better.

[tbone99]

Where is our anti - war candidate ? ! We have no real choices.

Sad to see John out of the race but continuing anti war work as a model for us all.

[letsmakesense]

The anti-war candidate is clearly Ron Paul.

[DumbDad]

AND the anti-education candidate! Ron Paul is cute, but only to adolescent perception of human reality. Only those who rise on the shoulders of others in colonialist exploitations like Texas find themselves fantasizing the libertarian follies of a guy like this, and we all know that the worst actual education in the world is a medical degree.

[speakingtruth2power]

I am not convinced that Hillary will turn her back on the MIC.

I can only HOPE that Barack will end the war - - and survive.

I believe John McBomb will be soundly defeated in November.

[bluecoyote]

If Elizabeth had her health back, she would be such a great VP.