Edwards dives in with new theme

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Edwards dives in with new theme
He evokes Kennedy in Portsmouth speech

For his second stab at the presidency, John Edwards has a new catchphrase: "Tomorrow begins today."

The line reflects a shift in message for Edwards, who based his 2004 presidential campaign on the theme of ending the "Two Americas," one for the wealthiest Americans and one for the working class. A day after announcing his 2008 presidential ambitions in New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward, Edwards continued to stress the importance of eradicating poverty. But in a Portsmouth town hall event, Edwards focused more on rallying voters to action. Change will only come, Edwards said, through citizen activism.

"A lot of you heard me in the last campaign talk about the two Americas. I still believe it's true. And you heard me talk about hope and inspiration, which I think are still important," Edwards, the 2004 Democrat vice presidential nominee, said yesterday. "But identifying problems and talking about hope is talking about tomorrow. We can't wait till tomorrow. We have to take action now."

In urging voters to volunteer and campaign for decent working conditions, Edwards relied on language that bore marked resemblance to John F. Kennedy's famous line: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

"I don't want to see us stay back, wait for the primary, wait for the election, and hope that the next person that gets elected is going to solve our problems," said Edwards, whose visit drew more than 800 people to a Portsmouth elementary school. "Instead of complaining that someone else is not doing their job, we ought to ask what can we do to help. What can we do for this country?"

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061230/REPOSITORY/612300359/1043/48HOURS