"John Edwards bashed Bush for being defeatist while on the campaign trail in North Carolina. 'After months of listening to the Republicans base their campaign on their singular ability to win the war on terror, the president now says we can't win the war on terrorism,' Edwards said in a speech in Wilmington. 'This is no time to declare defeat,' he said... [Wesley] Clark said that the war on terrorists 'motivated by Islamic extremist ideology is winnable, by going after, attacking and defeating the specific groups that attack us, cutting off their ability to recruit, (and) defeating the claims of their ideology.' It was also important to strengthen homeland security and keep militants from accessing weapons of mass destruction, Clark said, adding that the Bush administration's approach to the problem 'is fundamentally flawed.'... 'Imagine if President Truman had responded to the Iron Curtain with a wall of indifference?,' Edwards asked."

Arianna Huffington writes, "Judging by the hysterical reaction of the GOP, there are many things about John Edwards sending a cold shiver down Karl Rove's reptilian spine. Here are five: One. He can help Kerry make this campaign about what kind of America we want to live in - a campaign not just about policies and programs but about our fundamental values as a country... Two. Edwards' core theme of the two Americas - 'one for the powerful insiders, and another for everyone else' - helps sharpen the differences between the two tickets, and underlines that, far from being a uniter, George Bush has been the ultimate divider... Five. Edwards has made a very successful career out of eating folks like Dick Cheney for lunch in courtrooms all across America. He'll know exactly how to wield Halliburton like a stiletto. I give Cheney 30 minutes before he drops his first F-bomb. I can't wait."

"Business organizations are reacting harshly to John Kerry's selection of John Edwards as his running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket. The strong reaction stems from Edwards' background as a trial lawyer and his support of no limits on damages in health care and product-liability lawsuits. U.S. Chamber of Commerce chief Tom Donohue warned before Edwards' name was disclosed that the chamber would abandon its traditional neutral stance in presidential elections, and work to defeat the Kerry-Edwards ticket. A chamber spokesman late Tuesday reaffirmed Donohue's threat. 'If you look at the records and the rhetoric of these two individuals, they rank 99th and 100th in the U.S. Senate in issues of concern to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the business community,' said William Miller, political director at the Washington-based lobby." This is an outrage for a non-partisan group - if you belong to the Chamber of Commerce call the national office and tell them you're quitting!