Even though I generally like John Edwards, I can't say I'm very excited that he's thrown his hat in the ring going after the Democratic nomination for president.

"I've reached my own conclusion this is the best way to serve my country," Mr Edwards told NBC.

"I've learned since the last campaign that it's great to identify a problem... but the way you change things is by taking action."

Context is everything, though, and one wonders how Edwards can distinguish himself when he's outside of all the action -- especially when he's reversing some of his previous positions.

He's apologizing for his vote to send troops to Iraq — which he stood by steadfastly in the 2004 campaign — and is calling for 40,000-50,000 troops to come home immediately.

And those middle class tax cuts he campaigned on in 2004? "At this point, it's hard to see how to do that," Edwards said in an interview after his campaign kickoff in New Orleans.

The unorthodox campaign launch site — the middle of a neighborhood still devastated more than a year after Hurricane Katrina — itself demonstrated how Edwards campaign has changed.

Not that these are changes in the right general direction, imho. They're just a couple of years too late.

Anyway, while I would vote for him if he were the nominee, his announcement gets a yawn.

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