Thank You, John Edwards!

Well, I guess our call to "Ring A Bell Today For John Edwards" fell silent ... Or, as with voters, just not enough bells were rung.

News jawdropper this morning is that John Edwards will announce this afternoon that he is exiting the campaign for president.

It became an enormous, uphill struggle, battling against the two, pockets-stuffed-with-money, mega-deathstars and you don't win the nomination with only third-place finishes.

And the road ahead promised more of those.

Logan Murphy, from Crooks and Liars;

"John ran a good campaign and vowed to stay in it all the way to the convention, but apparently that’s not going to happen. John’s populist message scared the daylights out of the wealthy elite and the corporate media, which ultimately hurt his coverage. We wish him and his family all the best.

Steve Benen, from The Carpetbagger Report;

"First, Edwards exits with his head held high, knowing that he ran a strong, uphill campaign, which drove the Democratic message more than a lot of people realize. I’m reminded of this recent piece from Chris Hayes.

No matter who wins the Democratic nomination, the fact remains that the Edwards campaign has set the domestic policy agenda for the entire field. He was the first with a bold universal healthcare plan, the first with an ambitious climate change proposal that called for cap-and-trade, and the leader on reforming predatory lending practices and raising the minimum wage to a level where it regains its lost purchasing power….Ultimately, though, the Edwards campaign has been both a campaign and a cause, with the latter outperforming the former. Few remember that the signature economic policy of Bill Clinton’s presidency, balancing the budget, originated as a plank in the platform of his primary rival Paul Tsongas. If the next Democratic President manages to pass universal healthcare or a carbon cap-and-trade, we’ll owe the Edwards campaign a significant debt."

Yes, with his head held high, Mr. Edwards may be dropping out of the campaign, but I doubt he will exit the stage completely, carrying on for the causes he believes in, surely to make a difference in the long run, surely to continue the fight to make the world a better place.