Thursday, December 14, 2006

"John Edwards Is Strongest Dem Contender"

John Nichols:
Everyone's talking about Illinois Senator Barack Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton and the man and the woman to beat for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2OO8.

So who beats the man who is generally portrayed as the leading Republican candidate for the presidency?

According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is the strongest contender.

The 2OO4 Democratic nominee for vice president who is pondering a 2OO8 run, tops Arizona Republican John McCain by two points: 43 percent to 41 percent.

McCain beats Clinton by four points: 47-43.

McCain beats Obama by five points: 43-38.

Notably, Edwards has positioned himself as the far more progressive candidate in the race: adopting a strongly anti-war position, aggressively criticizing presidential appointments to the Supreme Court and focusing on his concern about the growing gap between rich and poor in what he describes as "two Americas."

Reader Advisory: This is one poll a long way out from the election.

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