"Escalating the war in Iraq sends exactly the wrong signal to the Iraqis and the rest of the world about what our intentions are there. We need to make it clear that we intend to leave Iraq and turn over the responsibility of Iraq to the Iraqi people "

Another Good Hair Day!

John Edwards is a former U.S. Senator from North Carolina, a former trail lawyer, the 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee and, until he quit the race on January 30, 2008, a Democratic party candidate for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

John Edwards was born Johnny Reid Edwards to a working class family in Seneca, South Carolina. His father, Wallace, worked in a textile mill and his mother, Bobbie, worked at the post office in addition to running a shop. Edwards was raised in Robbins, North Carolina. He attended public school and worked his way through college; making him the first of his family to receive a college education.

Edwards worked his way through North Carolina State University and graduated with honors in 1974. Then he earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with honors in 1977.

Edwards practiced law as a trial lawyer. In 1978 he became an associate with the law firm of Dearborn & Ewing. He served a Nashville Bank and corporate clients before returning to North Carolina in 1981 where he became a personal injury attorney. He made his fortune from trial successes. Edwards has been responsible for some of the largest personal injury awards in the history of North Carolina.

He has also been criticized for taking advantage of a tax-law loophole which allowed him to escape paying $591,000 in Medicare taxes.

Edwards and his law partner were honored with the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's national award for public service for a 1997 product liability lawsuit against Sta-Rite, in case involving the disembowelment of a young North Carolina girl and the manufacturer of a defective pool drain cover.

In 1998 Edwards won election to the U.S. Senate with a margin of about 83,000 votes. He served one term as U.S. Senator from North Carolina.

Edwards was in charge of the deposition of Monica Lewinsky during the 1999 impeachment trial of then President Bill Clinton.

In 2000, Edwards was named "sexiest politician alive" by People magazine.

In 2003, Edwards and co-author John Auchard published the book Four Trials, a biographical account detailing pinnacle cases of his law career.

As a senator, he co-sponsored 203 bills. He voted for the Patriot Act. He supports abortion rights, affirmative action, the death penalty, and expanding legal immigration to the U.S. with certain provisions.

Edwards opposed the plan of President George W. Bush to escalate the war in Iraq. In a press release he stated,"Senator McCain is the leading advocate for escalating the war in Iraq against the advice of our military leaders, what I call the McCain Doctrine. Now, one of his top allies is attacking those generals and blaming them for the terrible situation in Iraq. That's outrageous. The failed Iraq policy lies squarely on the shoulders of the people who make that policy -- the president and his Cabinet."

Edwards was chosen by Senator John Kerry to be his running mate in the 2004 presidential election. In his speech titled "The Two Americas," he said, "Today, under George W. Bush, there are two Americas, not one: One America that does the work, another that reaps the reward." American news media characterized him as a populist.

After the 2004 election, Edwards was director of the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a consultant to the Fortress Investment Group LLC.

Edward's campaign for the 2008 Democratic party presidential nomination was focused on alleviating poverty, global warming action, and universal healthcare. He consistently ran behind Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. He dropped out of the race on January 30, 2008.