And here we go.

Speaking at Silver Spring's El Golfo restaurant on Saturday, Edwards said she plans to be better organized, spend more time campaigning and raise more money -- much more money.

She has been holding weekly community meetings this year throughout the district, which spans Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

``I think that we're going to have to almost match Mr. Wynn, dollar for dollar ... I'm guessing we're going to have to raise $1 million," Edwards said. That's nearly triple the $345,000 she raised last year. ``Chump change," she called last year's campaign treasury.

Raising money was a huge challenge for her last cycle, because there was literally no media interest in the race until the very end.  People kept asking 'is she for real'.  This cycle, if she runs, that won't be an issue.  Wynn is already acting scared.

But Wynn seems to have already gotten the jump on community outreach. He, too, holds weekly meetings and makes public appearances. Last week, he threw the opening pitch at the Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School varsity baseball game in Upper Marlboro. And his 12th Annual Procurement Fair and Business Expo was held Monday in Rockville.

Wynn has also taken a strong stance against the Iraq war, even though Edwards sharply rebuked him last year for originally backing the war. Wynn voted last week for the bill requiring U.S. troop withdrawal by August 2008. ``This war has cost us 3,200 American lives and over $400 billion. Our troops and our country have sacrificed enough. Let's bring them home," he said in a statement.

Staffers say the congressman's increased visibility is just a mark of solid constituent service and not a campaign in disguise.

Wynn was a backer of the Iraq war and of course he got scared by the challenge so he changed his position.  He's also now doing constituent outreach.  The dynamics of the campaign are different this cycle, with Wynn flailing around trying to appease liberals when what the district is really looking for is leadership.

The real key to understanding Wynn's corruption is corporate cash (he's a rainmaker in the CBC various network of non-profits, for instance).  He was full up with PAC donations from telecom and energy companies, and he reciprocated with legislation on Bankruptcy and net neutrality.  He might be able to move away from the war, but he needs money and he's going to get that from business PACs.  His political judgment is poor, and he's a weak man that represents the go-along-get-along instincts in our political system.  He's going to tug on the 'I've learned my lessons' heartstrings of the district residents, while Edwards is going to have to run on a platform of leadership since the case against Wynn isn't as obvious this time.

Edwards has a better shot.  Last cycle everyone was afraid of Wynn, but now he's kind of been reduced to a vacillating bumbler.  Immediately after the primary, which had been fraught with very suspicious electoral problems, Wynn joked about stealing the election with wingnut Republican Joe Barton (who was still Chair of Energy and Commerce at the time).  It's not just that Wynn participated in undermining the confidence of the primary process, but his staffers were actually caught assaulting Donna Edwards volunteers, and a trial date for the two of them is set for April 21.  Wynn also among other nasty tricks lied on flyers about being endorsed by various unions, and had a history of being fined by the FEC for failing to reveal critical details about a substantial number of his donors.

Wynn has a Wynn-sized trail of corruption and weakness following him.  He's now going to a lot more baseball games and community meetings in district, doing outreach, as well as changing his position on the war, but I don't think that's going to be enough this time.  The country is ready for a new generation of leadership.