While the Press Looks Elsewhere, Edwards Gains Ground

    Fred Thompson may be the flavor of the moment in the press corps but John Edwards continues to rack up impressive labor endorsements -- the Steelworkers, the Mineworkers, the Carpenters Union, and a key transportation union. It's true that we've written that endorsements don't mean nearly as much as they once did. And it's also true that in the first three states that count -- Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina -- there isn't the union presence there is in many other states.
    But these endorsements do give Edwards credibility and allow him to argue to his Iowa followers that he is a top-tier candidate worth supporting. That, in itself, should give hs campaign some needed momentum.