The Edwards Effect

If Krugman is right, and John Edwards forced the other two to actually stand for something other than pure politics, he's owed a giant "thank you."

So John Edwards has dropped out of the race for the presidency. By normal political standards, his campaign fell short.

But Mr. Edwards, far more than is usual in modern politics, ran a campaign based on ideas. And even as his personal quest for the White House faltered, his ideas triumphed: both candidates left standing are, to a large extent, running on the platform Mr. Edwards built.