Ready for his closeup

According to this morning's NYT (via Kevin Drum), John Edwards has decided not to seek reelection to the US Senate in order to focus on his presidential campaign.

The decision appears to end an issue that had become an albatross on Mr. Edwards's presidential bid at a time when his campaign is looking to break away from the middle of the pack of nine candidates.

Mr. Edwards's refusal to state his plans for the seat had fed an impression among some party leaders and voters that he was not in the race for the long haul.

Given Edwards's caution up to now, and the fact that a senate seat in the hand is worth an Oval Office in the, er, bush, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Edwards has seen survey research that confirms what I've been sensing since he went on the air here in SC -- people are going to like this guy when they see more of him. And he's got enough money in the bank to make sure they do.