Doesn't this concession by Kerry seem almost half-hearted...

...especially given that his running mate is John Edwards?

Say what you will about trial lawyers, but Edwards has consistently been among the best of them. By all rights he should be frothing at the mouth before the cameras while ranting and raving that "it's not over" until ALL the ballots from Ohio and Florida have been counted. That's what he promised in the wee hours of the morning anyways. Now Kerry is making his concession speech at this very moment and Edwards, who committed his entire future political viability for a chance to be Vice-President of the United States... is doing nothing?

No speculation at all, folks: it's only an observation. It's just that I'm finding this to be more than a little out-of-character for John Edwards. But two possibilities do come to mind, although I'm reluctant to invest lengthy consideration toward either but the first: that being that the decision to concede has been Kerry's alone to make, probably after conferring with Democratic Party leadership and though they may not be happy with it, they're going to abide by Kerry's wishes to the letter, and that goes for Edwards also, as much as this is probably killing him deep down.

The other possibility, and it's a wildly remote one - but one that would be perfectly in-keeping with Edwards' style - is that conceding this quickly was something that Edwards suggested. Why that would be, I've no idea. But trial lawyers are a particularly clever lot and Edwards is already well-known for his adeptness at legally maneuvering out of nowhere to lock up a case when it sometimes seemed a lost cause.

Concession speeches aren't legally binding agreements, by the way.