Please note: I'm happy to sell out for any former employers who are future presidents
So, best I can tell, the Washington Post picked up Chris Cillizza from Roll Call pretty much exclusively to write a new blog, called The Fix. Since he's a real reporter, you get three or four mini-articles a day, and since the Post already has a fine crop o' political reporters, Cillizza seems to have free rein to talk about whatever under-covered political story he wants. Last week he spent the day with Mark Warner and wrote periodic updates on the Virginia governor's race and Warner's prospects for 2008. When you do that four or five times a day, you start covering real new ground. So I'm glad he's doing this.
Today he comments on a poll gauging the popularity of likely 2008 presidential candidates and, specifically, their popularity amongst members of both parties and political independents. I found this paragraph particularly on point:
Of Democrats, Edwards was the strongest potential 2008 candidate among Republicans and independents. He was thought of favorably by 68 percent of independents and 48 percent of Republicans. Eighty-five percent of Democrats had a favorable view of Edwards, who had the highest favorability score of any of the Democrats tested -- including former president Bill Clinton. Edwards allies are likely to circulate the poll results among the chattering class over the next few days to try and cement the idea that he is the only Democratic candidate that can win back the centrist voters who gave Bush two terms in the White House.
Done and done. He's popular with the base too!