IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT, SEEK THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION:

Sen. John Edwards disses Meet the Press (Robert Novak, January 11, 2003, Townhall.com)

Sen. John Edwards, following advice from political handlers, reneged on his commitment to return to NBC's "Meet the Press" to counteract
his poor performance on that program last May, which negatively impacted his presidential prospects.

Edwards had told many people that he intended to "get back on the horse" and field another round of tough questioning by "Meet the Press" moderator Tim
Russert. However, strategists planning Edwards's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination ruled out a Russert repeat as too risky. Instead, Edwards
went to ABC's "This Week" program for a softer interview by George Stephanopoulos.

A footnote: Edwards raised eyebrows during the Stephanopoulos interview when he was asked to name his favorite book. He mentioned only "The Trial of
Socrates" by the late radical journalist I.F. Stone, who has been identified as a covert Soviet agent.

The Edwards campaign continues to stumble out of the gates. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 11, 2003 5:40 AM