And it all comes down to this for Edwards

From David Broder's piece on John Edwards in this morning's Washington Post:

For John Edwards, Tuesday is the day of reckoning.

If the native son of South Carolina loses the presidential primary here to John F. Kerry -- a possibility that his entourage nervously acknowledges is real -- the decision will be simple. Edwards will congratulate Kerry, quickly endorse the Massachusetts senator as the Democratic nominee and head home.

He will feel no shame, he said in an interview, in losing to a man he regards as an upright politician, worthy of the presidency.

But if he beats Kerry in South Carolina, Edwards said he looks forward to challenging him for the top spot -- no matter what the odds against his success.

A victory here would send the North Carolina senator flying late Tuesday night to Memphis to begin a quest for victories on Feb. 10 in the Tennessee and Virginia primaries -- a prelude to a battle he says he can wage right through the remainder of the race.

In his most explicit comments about his strategy against Kerry, Edwards said that it would not be a personal vendetta. He bestows on Kerry, and on defeated Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), his ultimate accolade, saying he regards them as the other "solid" contenders in the original field. "I think John Kerry and I have run very serious, disciplined campaigns with very substantial policy foundations," Edwards said. "I think he was in it for the long run, and so was I."

Now, obviously, I'm biased, but that strikes me as pretty classy stuff coming from a man who's fighting for his political life; whatever happens, I'm glad I decided to support Edwards, and delighted that I'll get a chance to vote for him in today's SC primary.

NOTE: For the record, I agree with Sen. Edwards' comments wholeheartedly. John Kerry is a solid guy -- and a deeply, heroically, patriotic American. If he sweeps today, I'll be proud to give him my unstinting support.