Election 2008: Edwards in the morning

Here was a job not so much about two Americas but the one that loves Regis, or Matt.

Here was Sen. John Edwards, kicking off a "national poverty tour," and creamy GMA co-host Diane Sawyer sitting before an Oprah-sized gathering in the New Orleans town hall where the Louisiana Purchase was signed.

The medium is the message, someone said. So, when Sawyer teased of Edwards: "He says you can end poverty in America in 30 years if America sets it's mind to it," it sounded like she was talking about the War on Carbs.

The network morning shows are always town halls, in a sense-average folks (i.e. tourists in New York City) vying to stand behind Al while he does the weather. The Edwards colloquy had more seriousness of purpose, though talk of Iraq and Pakistan and health are and how to help working people living at the poverty line was tabled for news and weather breaks and the new report suggesting teen-age girls make themselves more anxious, talking about their problems all the time.

"Does teenage gab lead to anxiety?" GMA was asking from New York. Back in New Orleans, what was going on, during these long breaks? Was Edwards actually conversing with the town hall folks? Sawyer didn't put the question to the candidate.

"I have to wedge in a political question here," she said, in the 7 o'clock hour. "All right, the whisper heard 'round the Democratic presidential race," she giggled, and asked about the video bite last week showing Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton, onstage after an NAACP forum, appearing to collude on a plan to winnow out the pretenders in the Democratic primary.

The video didn't make all that much hay last week in the echo chamber, beyond playing to anyone wanting to interpret Edwards and Clinton as Beltway limousine liberals.

That subtext bled through the question asked by one of the town hall participants: "Senator, I was just wondering, since you're on this national poverty tour, how do you justify spending $400 on a haircut?"

"I don't. No excuses, but can I just tell you, some lessons you learn the hard way. I've learned my lesson. I gotta a very cheap haircut the other day and I'm gonna keep cheap haircuts."

Laughter, ephemera. A morning show in its element.

--Paul Brownfield