He's done it before

This is former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards' second time around as a candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. By now, he has the public appearances part of the job down to an effortless routine. The eighth or ninth telling of a joke sounds just as fresh as the first, even the hesitation as he seemingly tries to recall details that he actually has mastered. It's like watching a short play over and over again, 12 to 15 minutes of stump speech and then questions until the campaign handlers decide it's time to get going to the next appearance.

December 30, 2007