Essential Estrogen

Three women -- one of them a newly announced endorser -- led the way when former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards took the stage in Cedar Rapids Monday night to wrap up his "Main Street Express" bus tour across Iowa.

"Nothing that I have done in my life is more important than what I'm doing here tonight," said Roxanne Conlin, the nation's first female U.S. Attorney, the first woman president of the National Association of Trail Lawyers and Iowa co-chair of the Edwards campaign.

"The reason I am here tonight, and that I've been lots of places in the state of Iowa recently, is to tell you what I think is most important about John Edwards -- from the advantage point of a friend of 20 years," she said. "What you see is what you get. The man is good to his soul. He's genuine. He's authentic. He truly, truly cares about what happens to people. I promise you that. You have my word on that."

After offering the crowd of roughly 200 at Coe College some holiday gift buying tips (books authored by Edwards), Conlin introduced Elizabeth Edwards, who, in turn and after many accolades, introduced Iowa First Lady Mari Culver.

"You are blessed and the entire country is blessed that Mari Culver stands in the position that she does as first lady of this state and one of the most esteemed first ladies in the entire country," said Elizabeth.

Entering the stage to a jazzed up version of "Proud Mary (Rollin' On the River)," Culver, who also gave her support to Edwards in the days just before the 2004 Iowa caucuses, gave props to her hometown of Marion before getting down to the business of her visit.

"As you may have heard, I've got a little bit of an announcement to share with you," she said with a smile. "Iowans have a very important decision to make on January 3rd. And I, like all of you, have carefully reviewed the candidates, their positions, have read as much as I could and informed myself. You know, we, as Democrats, are very lucky. We have the best field of Democratic candidates that I believe has ever run. ... But, like you, I can select only one candidate to support on January 3rd and that is why today I'm so pleased to announce my support for John Edwards for president."

Culver said there are many reasons why she supports the Edwards candidacy and proceeded to list the fact that he was born of humble beginnings and that he has "never forgotten the important lesson of the dignity of hard work."

"Third, and most importantly, I know John Edwards can win," she said. "Not just our caucuses, but the general election too. He is ready. He is battle tested. He's been through this process before -- he has been on our national ticket. I think these experiences give him a real advantage."

After discussing a recent CNN poll which listed John Edwards as the only Democrat to beat Republican rivals, Culver said the reason Edwards wins is because he "inspires people."

"His message has always been rooted in opportunity and optimism and lifting up people," she said. "I think he inspires people to their highest calling. He and his campaign are staying above all of this name-calling and mud-throwing that we are seeing now -- those who treat politics as blood sport. I believe Americans appreciate this and will rally behind him as a candidate and as our president."

Saying that she was ready to roll up her sleeves and do everything she can between now and caucus night, Culver welcomed Edwards to the stage to audience chants of "Go, John, Go." Edwards, for his part, thanked the women who preceded him at the rally and then spoke highly of Culver and her focus as first lady on women's and children's services.

"[Mari Culver] has, from her heart, advocated on causes that are enormously important to Iowa, to America and to me," he said. "I still remember the first place we went to this morning. Literally, the people in this shelter knew Mari when she walked in the door. That's how much time she has spent there. She doesn't do this for politics. She doesn't do this to make sure she has a good photo opportunity. She does it because it is in her heart and soul, and it says something about what kind of human being she is and what kind of character she has. I am so proud to have Mari Culver's support in the caucuses here in Iowa."

The vast majority of Edwards' remarks at the event were words that supporters have heard often in Iowa. He promised to take on corporations for the benefit of average Americans, and told those in attendance that playing nice with special interests would not produce the desired results. Toward the end of his speech, however, Edwards gave a populist rallying cry of "rising up" that this reporter had not heard since 2003.

"Every time that we speak up for all of those who are struggling to give their children the life that you want to give your children -- the working middle class, the working poor, the struggling families in this country -- every time we speak up for them, America rises," he said. "When we speak up for 200,000 veterans who don't have a place to live, America rises. When we speak up for 47 million people who have no health care coverage, America rises. When we speak up for 35 million who went hungry -- in America -- last year, America rises. When we speak up for James Lowe and millions like him who live in the shadows, who Washington doesn't even know exists, America rises. And, I'll tell you something, brothers and sisters, come January the third, right here in Iowa, America is going to begin to rise...

"When we start this rising up on January the third, right here in Iowa, this rising up is going to spread like a wave across America, with a power and force like you have never seen. And these media people, they're gonna all say, 'What happened? Where did that come from?' You're gonna know where it started. It started with you, right here in Iowa on January the third. "

The Edwards campaign has made video available of the initial Culver endorsement yesterday in Des Moines: