John Edwards as Howard Beale
Chris Cillizza over at the Washington Post's "The Fix" says "John Edwards is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore." More from that post:
Over the last few weeks, a new John Edwards has emerged.Beginning with the CNN/YouTube debate on July 24, Edwards has appeared far more angry -- outraged even -- at the current Administration, the war in Iraq and even many in his own party. At last weekend's YearlyKos presidential debate, Edwards worked himself into a lather on almost every question -- loudly proclaiming the need for real and big change while dismissing the half-measures and compromises advocated by some of his opponents.
Cillizza sees this as a tactic that could tap into the frustration felt by many in the Democratic party's base. Certainly, the tone echoes the first-shaking anger you see on a lot of sites in the liberal blogshpere.
And it is a marked contrast to the mainly upbeat, hope-for-tomorrow, we-can-do-it-together, Kumbaya optimism that has characterized Edwards the hand full of times I've seen him in person.
I guess my question is whether this is some new scripting - Edwards is a very discipline speaker who will stay on message even if you ask him what color shirt he's wearing - or whether he has tapped some genuine vein of aggravation within himself that's coloring his public appearances.