There is a great piece on him by Craig Crawford, who as we know frequently pops up on MSNBC. It seems he decided to actually follow Edwards around for a few days to see if the skeptics were right. (And he gives his colleagues a couple of digs about how they only cover a candidate from four-star hotels.)
My favorite line: From what I've seen of Edwards, he would have to set himself on fire to generate more heat in his campaign appearances.
Here are a couple of passages, but the whole thing is a good read.
Give John Edwards a break.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee has not disappeared off the face of the Earth, as many in the news media suggest, and he is not holding his punches against Republicans, as some in his party lament.
You just have to get out of the big city hotels to find Edwards. And when you do, his words are plenty tough.
[...]
Such criticism is hard to fathom. Running mates are not supposed to steal the limelight from the guy at the top of the ticket. If Edwards did show up on national talk shows and dominate network coverage, we would all be talking about how Kerry is being upstaged.
Of course, it is tough to find Edwards unless you are willing to stay in something other than a top-tier hotel. Even the biggest chains feature only their knock-off brands in the towns where he goes. Sometimes you have to settle for a Motel 6. But Edwards is going after the swing voters where they live. His recent Pennsylvania stops covered a suburban swath where nearly 20 percent of the state's likely voters reside.
Earlier in September, I caught up with Edwards in Chillicothe, Ohio. About an hour's drive south of Columbus, this town of 20,000 residents produced nearly 5,000 for an Edwards rally. TV news crews from all around central and southern Ohio covered it; people were passing out in the crush of humanity and heat. And, for those Democrats who think Edwards is too passive, he dished out loads of red meat, hurling barb after barb at his vice presidential opponent.
"Edwards Slams Cheney in Chillicothe Stop," The Columbus Dispatch headlined the next day.