Edwards: Iowans the 'guardians' of the White House
by Rick Pearson
DES MOINES — Democratic candidate John Edwards kicked off an eight-day Iowa bus tour today by telling caucus-goers that by living in the nation's leadoff presidential state, they have a great deal of responsibility in choosing a contender.
Unlike Iowans, Edwards said, "most of America will see the presidential candidates in 30-60 second sound bites on television." Iowans, he said, "are the guardians of what kind of human being we'll have as the next president of the United States."
"What I ask caucus-goers here in Iowa to do on behalf of our country is to make sure you caucus for somebody who can restore that trust relationship, somebody whom you believe is honest, who is sincere, who is trustworthy, 'cause you're going to be in a place to evaluate that that most of America is not," Edwards said.
"And so, not on my behalf, but on behalf of our country, I ask you to judge us, everyone of us, up or down, because we must have a president of the United States that can restore trust between the American people and the president," he said.
Edwards challenged the crowd of a couple of hundred people at the Polk County Convention Center in downtown Des Moines to consider whether they are looking "for careful, cautious political calculation, or are we going to be looking for bold, strong specific leadership."
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