It's not surprising that we have two lawyers as the leading candidates for the nomination. It's also not surprising that their styles reflect their law careers.
John Kerry was a prosecutor and his serious style is detail oriented as a prosecutor must be to make his case to put away a mobster. He will attack as needed.
John Edwards was a very successful civil trial lawyer, where ability to appear sympathetic and make your clients sympathetic to the jury are the real keys to success.
Both styles suit their former profession and both will make good candidates in the general election. Kerry will likely more attack Bush with details of his misdeeds, Edwards will present his case for healing a divided America. It's a matter of taste as to which one is thought be the stronger campaigner with the best chance of winning.
Neither will likely "take the country back," as Dean might have, as Nader is promising, or as Jerry Brown promised in 1992. But that does not mean that they don't represent a very positive change from Bush.