Now let me start this off by saying that there's no love lost between Hillary and me, and that Hillary is most definitely not my top choice among the current candidates. But when the moderator asks this important question...
"Would you support Senator Clinton if she were the Democratic nominee?"
...that ought to be a no-brainer.
Barack had the perfect answer:
"I am a Democrat, and I would support the Democratic nominee," he said. With a smile, he added, "I intend it to be me."
Biden's worked well too:
"Of course. What’s the [alternative] choice, Rudy Giuliani?"
John Edwards, on the other hand, punted:
"I’m not willing to talk about that at this point," he said, waiting silently until the next question was asked.
Now I realize that Edwards isn't going to make a 3rd party run if he loses, and I suspect that Edwards simply was thinking that he shouldn't do anything that could undercut his own campaign. Well, more to the point, he doesn't want to do anything that would undercut his increasingly sharp criticisms of Clinton. But this is NOT the way to go about achieving that goal. If anything, it's a step backwards because it makes him sound like he believes himself to be bigger than the party - and for all my quibbles with Edwards, I know that's not his attitude.
The only way that Democrats can blow this election is if we form a circular firing squad. The first step towards forming that circle is failing to realize that, in the end, we're all on the same side. I think that Edwards realizes this. But this is the kind of thing that will make it a lot harder for us all to come together after the primaries are over.
There are seven good - not perfect, but good - Democratic candidates in this race. All would be miles better than the least-bad of the GOP alternatives. ALL the candidates should pledge NOW to support the Democratic nominee, whoever it may be.
To paraphrase Sen. Biden, the prospect of 4 years of President Giuliani is far less appealing.