But maybe something is really changing inside the son of a millworker. This week he will launch a series of short documentaries on his Web site, OneAmericaCommittee.com, offering behind-the-scenes glimpses of life on the campaign trail. The Webisodes, previewed exclusively by NEWSWEEK, show Edwards struggling with how to show more authenticity on the campaign trail. "I'd rather be successful or unsuccessful based on who I really am, not based on some plastic Ken doll," he says in one episode. "But ... we're so conditioned to say what's safe ... and it's hard to shed all that."
The documentaries--which show the former senator on trips to Iowa and Africa, and places in between--are a start. In one installment, Edwards mocks a memo prepared by staffers reminding him to praise the value of public education when speaking to a group of public-school teachers. "I pay a lot of money for people who have the expertise to tell me that."
Read the whole thing (not that Hillary and Obama are on the cover of the issue of Newsweek where this article appears).
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"I'd rather be successful or unsuccessful based on who I really am, not based on some plastic Ken doll," he says in one episode. "But ... we're so conditioned to say what's safe ... and it's hard to shed all that."
LOL! It's funny how those of us who are really familiar with Edwards as a candidate see a real person with real concerns, while others have only seen his looks and decided he was "shallow." I'm glad he realizes this problem of people's perception and is working on it.