Edwards Set the Tone

Ezra Klein nails it for me about how important Edwards has been.

Barack Obama won tonight, but, in a sense, John Edwards' campaign also triumphed. The progressivism of the race, the focus on ideas, the courage of the Democrats -- all were products of his early example. He began the campaign by talking about poverty, announced his candidacy in the mud of New Orleans, set the agenda with the first universal health care bill, and closed Iowa speaking of the uninsured. This is Barack Obama's victory, and it's richly deserved. But Edwards, running as a full-throated populist, set the agenda and finished second, ahead of the Clinton juggernaut. He said his role was to speak for the voiceless. He now barrels towards New Hampshire with ever more volume. And while his shot at the nomination is long at best, his candidacy, even if it fails, will have been far more successful than most.

The chattering class could not figure out why Edwards did not give a "normal" concession speech. Duh. Because there is nothing to concede. His campaign is about real issues, real needs, real people. And, in his invocation of how "change won tonight" he acknowledged Obama's message and reinforced that this party, this time, is about issues more than the media's preocupation with personalities and horse races.

All three front runners are pretty good. And the results reflected that. And Edwards' and Clinton's speeched also reflected that.