Will Edwards Endorse?

Apparently our two remaining Democratic candidates for President value an endorsement from John Edwards, and maybe sooner rather than later. Both are making visits to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Senator Clinton made the first trip:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton flew to North Carolina on Thursday to meet with former Sen. John Edwards, a Clinton official said Sunday, part of a lobbying campaign expected by both Democratic candidates. Details of the meeting were spare. But a Clinton official said the private session took place despite Edwards' decision not to endorse either her or Sen. Barack Obama before the Super Tuesday races.

FDLers commented last night while watching Senators Clinton and Obama at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Richmond that they heard echoes of John Edwards in both excellent speeches. And Clinton spoke favorably of John Edwards in Maine yesterday:

Yesterday in Maine, during the question and answer session, a former Edwards supporter said she's supporting Clinton now because she's "a fighter" hopes Clinton will support some of Edwards' policies. Clinton said she'd ask Edwards to be part of "anything I do."

"Let me thank you for your support and let me also compliment Sen. Edwards, who is a fighter and really made poverty an issue that our country has to deal with again," Clinton said. "We haven't had a serious conversation about it in quite some time.... There is a lot that John and I have in common, and I hope he'll fight. And I intend to ask John Edwards to be part of anything I do ... when I'm in the White House."

I wonder if "part of anything I do" came up during the discussions on Thursday in Chapel Hill? More indications that Edwards may be close to an endorsement:

The Thursday meeting, which took place at Edwards' home in Chapel Hill, was followed by a Saturday night session during which the former North Carolina senator and several longtime advisers discussed many issues, including which candidate he should endorse.

At a Chapel Hill party yesterday for Edwards supporters, he gave no indication who he might endorse, or whether that endorsement is imminent. Some advisers are encouraging him not to endorse.

Powerful House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, the senior Democrat from Wisconsin and one of John Edwards' premier Capitol Hill supporters, declared on Thursday: