He would have been in an even better position to lead if not for the slamming he took by those who unfairly tagged him as sexist.

“Oh and John Edwards? Please stop being a patronizing, sexist jerk.”

Dear Senator Edwards:

I know you have left office. But right now, you are needed in the Senate chamber again. Please stand with Chris Dodd to filibuster telecom immunity in the FISA renewal fight. Your presence would challenge Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to stand with you and Senator Dodd for what is right: stopping this runaway administration from spying on Americans, and giving telecom corporations a “get out of jail free” card for agreeing to administration demands (when their legal departments knew they were breaking the law).

Please do this. I have supported you because of your challenging rhetoric: to do what is right for America and all Americans.

Thank you for the issues you have raised and for the campaign you are running. You make me proud. Now please go do one more thing. Go back to the Senate chamber and fight for what is right.

Thank you.

Dear al,

This past Saturday, while in Atlanta, John Edwards had a private meeting with Martin Luther King, III — the eldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today — Martin Luther King Day — John received a letter from Martin Luther King, III as a follow-up to that meeting. You can read it below.

I hope you will take a moment to read this wonderful call from Dr. King’s son urging John to stay in the race — and to continue fighting to eliminate injustice in America today.

Like Dr. King, John believes passionately that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That is why he will continue to speak out, without fear or favor, on the issue of economic justice in America.

During tonight’s presidential debate, you could see John doing exactly what Martin Luther King, III urged him to do: framing the issues of health care and the economy as a struggle for justice.

And as the other two candidates bickered over who’s right and who’s wrong, it was John who cut through the fracas and asked, “This kind of squabbling, how many kids is this going to get health care? We have to understand this is not about us personally.”

That’s why he will fight on to the Democratic Convention and to the nomination, ignoring the pundits who want this to be little more than a two-candidate race, continuing to lead with an agenda that does “not blur lines or obscure the truth.”

I hope you will continue to stand by John as he fights for an agenda of bold change, economic justice and providing a voice for those Americans that would otherwise be voiceless. Your support sustains John as he campaigns across this country.

In the meantime, please take a few minutes to read the letter below from Martin Luther King, III that so eloquently expresses why John is running.

Sincerely,

–David Bonior
National Campaign Manager, John Edwards for President
January 21, 2008

January 20, 2008

The Honorable John R. Edwards
410 Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father’s legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father’s legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are – a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don’t have lobbyists in Washington and they don’t get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III