Looks like Barack Obama snuck off to North Carolina today to meet with John and Elizabeth Edwards.
"Senator Obama visited this morning with John and Elizabeth Edwards at their home in Chapel Hill to discuss the state of the campaign and the pressing issues facing American families," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. He wouldn't comment on the possibility of an endorsement.
Edwards and Hillary Clinton had their "secret" meeting a couple weeks ago.
More interesting than the fact that they met, though, is this elaboration on why John Edwards is torn about whom to throw his support behind.
People close to the Edwardses, speaking privately, say they have been torn about whom to support. The former North Carolina senator is concerned that Obama may not be ready for the presidency and that his health care plan is inferior. But Edwards was highly critical of Clinton -- her policies, her ties to special interests and her character -- during his campaign, making it more difficult to support her now.The couple has been impressed with Clinton, who has more effectively courted them since the 2004 vice presidential nominee dropped out, people who talk to the Edwardses say. Obama has been less attentive, they say, and some of those close to the Edwardses have been annoyed that Obama has continued to ridicule him for once saying his biggest weakness is that he has a powerful response to seeing pain in others.
ABC News similarly reported on Edwards's conflict between the two candidates last week, even implying he was leaning toward Clinton.
In deciding between his one-time rivals, Edwards appears deeply divided. Several former advisers likened his thought process to a heart-versus-head split -- with his heart favoring Sen. Barack Obama's strong message of change, and his head attracted to Clinton's tested nature and commitment to tough fights.Though he sometimes aligned himself with Obama -- and against Clinton -- as a candidate, several Edwards campaign insiders say the former senator began to sour on Obama toward the end of his own campaign, and ultimately left the race questioning whether Obama had the toughness needed to prevail in a presidential race.
These two paragraphs jumped out at me in particular:
Several people close to the former North Carolina senator say he may ultimately stay neutral in the race...That may become a stronger possibility if Obama continues to build momentum toward the nomination: Edwards does not want to back a losing candidate, and neither does he want to join a bandwagon, aides and associates say.
Sort of makes you think that if Edwards were going to endorse anyone, it would be Hillary Clinton; endorsing Obama at this point smacks a bit of jumping on the bandwagon, and clearly would have far less impact than a Clinton endorsement. But it's hard to imagine his coming out in support of Clinton prior to March 4th before a couple potential big wins would give her the aura of a winner, something that's been sorely lacking from the Clinton campaign of late. My gut is that he won't endorse but the consistency and persistence of these reports of how torn John Edwards has been on the subject are very intriguing.
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