It's time for John Edwards to endorse Obama.

First of all, congratulations to Hillary Clinton and her supporters here on this site.  She had a great night, and revitalized her campaign.

Second -- I'm aware that the title is presumptuous.  Outside of many dime-a-dozen rumors, we really have no idea if John Edwards is behind Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or if he is simply neutral.   So I grant that we don't know who, if anyone, John Edwards supports.  

I'm a former Edwards supporter who was very disappointed when he dropped out of the race, but understood his reasons for doing so.  He just couldn't have won, and he knew it.

I wanted Edwards as our nominee, and while I liked Barack Obama a lot, I had some reservations about him.  (Then again, I had some reservations about JRE too.  No candidate is perfect, and the search for The One will always end in some disappointment.)

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The more I've looked at Obama post-Edwards, though, the more I've liked.  More importantly, the more I understood his overall electoral strategy, the more I liked it.  There are times I still wish he would define sharper contrasts between Democrats and Republicans, but -- you can't have everything.  On the other hand, I've grown to admire his ability to parry McCain and Clinton's attacks with deft political jiu-jitsu, all the while eschewing vitriol himself.

So I'd like to see Obama win the nomination, sooner rather than later.  And I'd like John Edwards to endorse him, not only for my personal satisfaction, but for whatever help it might bring.  I realize that ANY endorsement matters only so much -- and really, it's debatable if they matter at all.   I won't argue with anyone who says below that endorsements are irrelevant, or that Edwards -- assuming he is for Obama -- has waited too long to matter.

But after last night, it's time for Obama to give it everything he has.   To the extent that he was dinged by the Clinton campaign's demagoguery on NAFTA in Ohio (sorry HRC fans, that's how I see it), he might have at least turned the narrative around a bit with Edwards to give him some more street cred on the issue.

So this is an appeal to John and Elizabeth Edwards, if you're out there reading:  if you were planning to do it at any time, please get in the ring and endorse Barack Obama NOW.

Maybe more importantly, this is an appeal to Barack Obama and his campaign:  if you were ever planning to get Edwards' endorsement in public, do it NOW.

I think John Edwards should get something out of the deal, too.  I'd like Barack Obama to explicitly address the economic and social concerns that JRE brought up in his campaign; and to do it with more specifics, and more passion.  That will also have the great added benefit of framing the general election fight against John McCain, a man who promises nothing but four more years of the Bush crony-corporatist economy.

Again, I realize this diary is presumptuous on a whole bunch of different levels.  I don't claim any inside knowledge, or even to have heard any rumors.  Hell, I'll even stipulate that I know a lot less than most people on this site regarding the inner workings of the presidential campaigns.  

All those disclaimers aside -- if John Edwards is inclined to support Barack Obama, the time to do it is NOW.

If any of this resonates with you, please recommend.  Who knows, maybe the right people will see it.  

If it all just seems dumb to you... well, it just might be.  I concede that it's a shot in the dark.  Just comment on the dumbness below.  (Like I need to ask.  Heh.)

In any case, let us Obama supporters recommit to getting him the nomination, sooner rather than later.   Thank you.