John Edwards on The Colbert Report

A regular feature on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report is "The Word," where Stephen Colbert's self-named character opines on a burning issue of the day, while editorial comments appear on the right side of the screen. It's a technique that he used to great effect in his book, I Am America (And So Can You!).

Recently, on an episode that also included cameos by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Democratic also-ran John Edwards did his own version of "The Word." It was funny, and Edwards showed the charm, smarts and self-deprecating ability that led me to support him in 2004 and earlier in the 2008 primary campaign. While I support Barack Obama now, and would even (slightly grudgingly) support Hillary Clinton, I still wish that Edwards was in there. Sure, he's the white guy. . .and he's good lookin', no doubt. . .but there's a lot more to him than that.

Compare this performance to any performance by George W. Bush trying to be funny (or being unintentionally so).