OTTUMWA, IOWA — The toothy grin is still there, the pile of brown hair, the talk of rich and poor, and that molasses drawl that splits words like brain -- \o7bray-un \f7-- in two.
But this John Edwards is more seasoned and substantive than the one who placed second in the 2004 Democratic presidential race, and less sunny.
He assails Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for her early support of the war in Iraq -- Edwards renounced his war vote and apologized -- and portrays Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as just another pandering politician.
He won't say whether he considers President Bush, at the least, a decent man. "I don't think he's been honest with the country about where we are now in Iraq," Edwards said in a recent interview as he skimmed across the Iowa countryside.
Asked whether others running for president were decent people, he replied, "I'm just not going to get into evaluating everybody. I think that's what voters should do."
He may be running third behind Clinton and Obama nationally, but that's better than four years ago, when Edwards was a speck in polls and "10 people at a Best Western" was a good turnout, as Ed Turlington, a veteran of that effort, recalled.
Surveys show Edwards ahead in Iowa, which holds the first vote and is a crucial momentum-builder for the rapid series of contests that follow.
"Last time, the question the campaign had to answer was: 'John who?' " said Turlington, a longtime Edwards advisor. "This time there's not only high name recognition, but a base of credibility built up from before."
The crowds Edwards draws, though not the thousands packing Obama and Clinton rallies, are still impressive. Paying his 19th visit to Iowa in just over two years, Edwards attracted several hundred people at each stop, capped by a Saturday night crowd topping 500 in Burlington.
Edwards professes not to worry about his more-celebrated rivals. "What I've learned is it's a long process," he said with a been-there nonchalance. In two days, he rode from one end of Iowa to the other, holding five town meetings on a single subject, healthcare.
"Knowing how to do this matters," Edwards said as he wolfed down lunch, a pair of bunless beef patties. "There's going to be a lot of ups and downs between now and when it's over."
He is no longer the fresh face he was in 2004. He can't claim a long record of political achievement. So the former senator from North Carolina is offering something else, a mix of familiarity and new thinking.
