Edwards campaigns in Tucson

TUCSON—Presidential candidate John Edwards made a campaign stop in Tucson on Thursday night, speaking at the Plumbers and Steam Fitters Local No. 741 Union Hall.

Appearing confident and charismatic, the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential candidate spoke to a capacity crowd of more than 300 in a community meeting-type setting.

Adamant about ending the war in Iraq, the Democrat said, “The president has vetoed the funding bill because it includes a time-line for troop withdrawal; it’s the responsibility of Congress to stand its ground on this... Congress must keep sending similar funding bills.

“The American people have given us a mission to end this war in Iraq; I’m optimistic that Congress will stay strong.”

Edwards admitted that he voted for this war, that he was wrong and it’s a misjudgment he has to live with.

Another issue of great concern is having a president committed to public financing of campaigns.

“The president of the United States needs to make this a priority,” he said.

Edwards’ kept his talk brief focused on  questions from the audience.

On border security he said, “The border is not secure; we’ve done a terrible job… there needs to be a path to earn citizenship… and a need to learn English.”

Asked his opinion on current U.S./Russian relations he said, “Russia was a democracy under Yeltsin… now there should be consequences for the anti-democratic behavior. The U.S. needs to speak out.”

Asked what his three main campaign issues were, Edwards said there were four: the war in Iraq, global warming, universal health care and the economy/poverty.

Passionate about the environment he is calling for 80 percent reduction of emissions by 2050. “I’m very into this… America should manufacture the most fuel-efficient vehicles – and they should be built by union workers.” This brought a large cheer from the heavily-unionized audience.

“It’s time for Americans to be patriotic about something other than war… there’s a lot we can do to improve energy,” he said.

Regarding universal health care Edwards said he is the only candidate with a specific health care plan.

About the economy and poverty he said, “I’m the only candidate who talks about poverty in America.”

Asked his views to improve public education Edwards said, “No Child Left Behind has to be changed… testing has become intrusive… weeks are spent preparing for the test.

“We think of education as a K-12 experience; it should be a birth through death experience… things I learned ten years ago are no longer accurate,” he said.

The final question by a young girl aged six or seven was simple. She asked, “Why do you want to be president?”

Edwards said, “We desperately need a president who is honest, open, cares about others and is a decent human being.”

His stance on the war in Iraq garnered him the endorsement of a southern Arizona congressman and three Democratic state legislators on Thursday.

"I strongly believe that John Edwards is the right man for the Democrats to nominate for the White House in 2008," U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva said in a statement.

"He has shown principled leadership on the way in Iraq and on economic opportunity in America."

Edwards' visit also drew criticism from Randy Pullen, Arizona's Republican Party chairman.

"John Edwards spends $400 on haircuts. The people he is trying to pander to don't even spend $400 a week on food," Pullen said in a statement.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News. Includes information from The Associated Press.