Cross-posted at Political Forecast.

Well, now that we’re less than three weeks out from the Iowa Precinct Caucuses, it is time for me to make a tough decision: Who am I going to caucus for?

After watching the debates, attending events, reading the profiles, and listening to my friends I decided that it was time to face the tough decision.  Our field of Democratic candidates is an amazing spectrum of leadership, experience, and real desire for change.  I would be proud to call any of these candidates our nominee.

Why did I hold off so long in making my decision?  There were numerous reasons, but the primary one was that I wanted to make sure I was going to remain unbiased for as long as possible in my coverage of the candidates and to maintain a level of openness on both Political Forecast and Bleeding Heartland.  But the time has truly come to pick a candidate.  And for me, the candidate of choice is John Edwards.

Edwards appeals to me because he is the candidate with the experience and leadership to challenge the status quo.  He’s been in a tough presidential race and involved in a general election campaign.  He knows what it means to fight, and I’m telling you, that’s what we’re going to have in 2008.  No presidential race is ever a cakewalk.  And John Edwards knows that.

More than his experience in the political field, he’s got the populist rhetoric and policies that make me want him to go to Washington, removed the entrenched special interests, and bring back an era of unabashed compromise politics with all players on an even footing.  Having “politics” determine our policy courses in this country is fine with me; in this country we value the institutionalized agreement to disagree.  But that agreement has been co-opted by the conventional wisdom, those with wealth, and those with power.  Those folks have to be removed and I believe John Edwards is the candidate who can do that.

Finally, on the issues, Edwards has the right ideas and has shaped the progressive issues debate in this presidential race.  He was the first to seriously propose a plan for universal health care and I believe it is still the best one out there.  He’s talk about rural revitalization, protecting the middle class, fair trade policies, protecting the environment, ending the war in Iraq, and a variety of other issues every where he goes.

I don’t want to go on forever, so I hope you’ll appreciate my honesty in telling you my caucus choice.  And if you disagree that’s fine.  Other bloggers in Iowa have different opinions and I respect my colleagues.  Some have endorsed Joe Biden, others have endorsed Barack Obama, and others have endorsed John Edwards as well.  I respect their decisions, and I hope we have a vigorous and competitive caucus.  As we get closer to picking the Democratic nominee, I hope we can all unite behind the candidate and fight hard to take back the White House in November.

What does this all mean for me?  Well, first of all, Bleeding Heartland isn’t going to have two front-pagers touting John Edwards.  Desmoinesdem will be the one touting Edwards there.  My focus will continue to be on the caucuses as whole, whether it be polls, issues, the horserace, or whatever else may emerge.  But remember, Bleeding Heartland is a community blog; it is your site and I hope you sign up, start a diary, and get involved in the discussion.

On Political Forecast, I’m going to keep covering Iowa-specific policies as well as highlight why I’m supporting Edwards and talk a bit about his campaign.

Finally, I’d like to show you John Edwards’ new campaign ad airing in Iowa.  It is called “Voice.”