The New York Times-20080124-Loose on Free Time
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Loose on Free Time
John Edwards did not receive an endorsement from David Letterman on CBS's Late Show on Tuesday night, but he did receive eight valuable minutes to woo voters.
Mr. Edwards even allowed Mr. Letterman to ruffle his hair at the end of the segment.
Mr. Edwards's jokes earned several rounds of applause. After Mr. Letterman recalled the conflict between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama on Monday at a debate sponsored by CNN, Mr. Edwards eagerly responded, What I was trying to do was represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party last night.
Asked how the three candidates get along, Mr. Edwards replied, We can't stand each other, prompting laughter from the audience and a smirk from the candidate.
Mr. Edwards was the first Democratic presidential candidate to appear on a late-night talk show since a strike by screenwriters halted most television production in November. Mr. Letterman reached a separate agreement with the writers guild in early January, allowing Late Show to resume taping and removing the picket lines that would have deterred Mr. Edwards from appearing.
When Mr. Letterman made reference to the talk show host Oprah Winfrey's support for Mr. Obama, Mr. Edwards responded, I'm kind of thinking you can do for me what Oprah's done for Barack.
The audience loved the line, but Mr. Letterman avoided the invitation.
BRIAN STELTER
[Illustration]PHOTO (PHOTOGRAPH BY J.P. FILO/CBS, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)