The democrats [of which I have always been one] are in serious danger of losing their base [I figure I'm typical of the centrist democrat] over the war question. But, just when I thought it was over for the dems, here comes John Edwards, who has the guts to speak his mind in a very hostile environment. He was roundly booed by the crowd at the California Democratic Party convention for supporting the use of force, if necessary, to oust ole Saddam. I love his quote:

'It is also a test of presidential leadership to have the backbone to say to those who strongly disagree with you, even your friends, what you believe,'' he said before expressing support for using force.

It's at least a threshold consideration, i.e., whether the candidate has the guts to say [and impliedly do] what he believes is right, in the face of concerted opposition. I'd say that Edwards passed the test with flying colors.

Meanwhile, here's Howard Dean, who shows he can pander with the best of them: 'What I want to know is what in the world some of these Democrats are doing supporting the president's unilateral intervention in Iraq,'' he said to sustained applause. Dean and the other candidates flunked, big time.

Interestingly, California Republican Party spokeswoman Karen Hanretty said the conventiongoers did not represent the average California voter -- or the average Democrat for that matter.

"Obviously, Dean is telling the liberal activists in the Democratic Party what they want to hear, but it doesn't sound like he's offering a message that mainstream voters are going to relate to," she said.

Significantly, Edwards' position over the the weekend is not new, and he's had trouble with protesters in his home state long before the weekend convention.

It doesn't hurt that Edwards is a trial lawyer, so I know he'll do the right thing when it comes to protecting the rights of negligence victims. I'm for Edwards!