WP political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
Edwards and the Electability Question
...."It's not just a question of who you like," said Edwards as quoted by the Iowa Independent. "It's not just a question of whose vision you are impressed with. It's also a question of who is most likely to win the general election. It's a pretty simple thing. Who will be a stronger candidate in the general election here in the state of Iowa? Who can go to other parts of the country when we have swing candidates running for Congress and Senate?"...
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To Edwards's rivals, (the) tone and the positions he has taken since falling short of the White House in 2004 have the potential to make him unelectable in a general election, as it plays into the supposed stereotypes voters already carry about Democrats -- that they want to raise taxes and are not equipped to keep America safe....
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The truth is that Edwards's "electability" argument is based more on where he's from and what he sounds like when he talks than on his policy proposals....
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It's also worth noting inherent in all of these arguments is the fact that Edwards is the only white male among the top three Democrats....
Democrats have now been out of the White House for the past eight years as their practical-minded decision to go with the "most electable" Democrat backfired in 2004. We've long believed that after voting with their heads in 2004, Democratic voters will be casting a heart vote in 2008.
Interestingly, Edwards seems to be casting himself as the best mix of head and heart among the Big 3. On the one hand, he is seeking to claim the ideological left (heart) on issues like Iraq and health care. On the other, he argues that he is the candidate best equipped to win the White House in 2008 (head)....
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/06/edwards_and_the_electability_q_1.html#more 
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