Edwards Out! (UPDATED)

Edwards out! Holy smokes; I didn't see this coming at all. It's tough to say who this benefits, either nationally or on a state-by-state basis—but given the way Edwards has generally acted and what he claims to deeply believe my guess is that he wouldn't have done this before Super Tuesday unless it would benefit Obama. (Attorney General Edwards, don'tcha know.)

More links soon, once I see how people are getting a handle on this...

UPDATE: No endorsement at the moment, apparently, but it's hard to imagine that sticking until Tuesday. Given the way he's run his campaign and especially his statements after New Hampshire, a Hillary endorsement would completely undercut his entire persona—I don't see that happening. But an Obama endorsement seems likely, especially after the now-incredibly-crucial debate on Thursday. What better way to guarantee a lot of free, positive press on Sunday? (Besides Al, of course.)

The Obama statement, already out, throws fuel on that purely speculative fire.

UPDATE 2: Check out also this statement from the Obama campaign last night, honing his rhetoric about building a working majority into a stark, one-on-one comparison with Clinton over who can beat John McCain:

It’s time for new leadership that understands that the way to win a debate with John McCain is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq; who agreed with him in voting to give George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran; who agrees with him in embracing the Bush-Cheney policy of not talking to leaders we don’t like; and who actually differed with him by arguing for exceptions for torture before changing positions when the politics of the moment changed.

We need to offer the American people a clear contrast on national security, and when I am the nominee of the Democratic Party, that’s exactly what I will do. Talking tough and tallying up your years in Washington is no substitute for judgment, and courage, and clear plans. It’s not enough to say you’ll be ready from Day One – you have to be right from Day One.

UPDATE 3: Obama last night on Nightline:

Asked if he's looking for a deal with Edwards,

Obama: "I have spoken to John Edwards."

Moran: "About that?"

Obama: "No. Just generally about the campaign. I don't want to go into the details of the conversation we've had. But look, John's running a terrific campaign. He's still competitive in a number of states coming up on Super Tuesday. I think his attitude, like the rest of us, is he's going after as many delegates as he can get."

Moran: "But that sounds like a non-denial denial. Did you tell you'd like his endorsement?"

Obama: "That I can say unequivocally. I'd like Hillary Clinton's endorsement. Then we can start concentrating on the endorsement."