Edwards Out

Just heard the news on this one. Wow. I thought he might just stay in - regardless of the futility. Not seeing why he dropped out in this piece from the Chicago Tribune: What does Edwards' departure mean?. The New York Times says that he has not formally quit, so the reason may not be known. The Times does include this:

But Mr. Edwards began notifying close advisers and longtime supporters about his decision to drop out of the race early today. It was a decision rooted simply in the political reality of the challenges he faced in the 22 states holding contests on Feb. 5, according to people familiar with the decision, and had nothing to do with the health of his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, who has been battling cancer.

This also from the Chicago Tribune:

Sen. Barack Obama has wasted little time paying tribute to his departing rival John Edwards (and maybe courting his supporters). He just issued this statement:

“John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who’s up and who’s down, he made a nation focus again on who matters – the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington. John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this – that two Americans can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose. So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America.”