http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/30/edwards/index.htmlEdwards had campaigned on the message that he was standing up for the little guy, the people who are not traditionally given a voice in Washington, and that he would do more to fight special interests.
Commenting on his New Orleans trip, Edwards said Tuesday the city symbolized why he chose to run for president.
"It's a living, breathing example of the heart of my message, what I'm talking about," Edwards said. "I mean it's the failure of government to be there when people need it. It's a perfect indication of the conditions of poverty that exist in America."
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Klein said Edwards played a positive role in spurring his competitors during the early part of the campaign. "On a lot of substantive issues like health insurance, he was the first one out of the box with a very ambitious universal plan, and I think he forced the others to become bolder in a lot of their policy prescriptions, energy dependence and so on," Klein said.
One Edwards aide said he is not dropping out of the race due to his wife's health. Elizabeth Edwards announced last year that her breast cancer had returned.