Similarly, in this circle of privilege, you can go into corporate law or academia, but how many Harvard and Yale law grads become plaintiffs’ lawyers or, as their critics call them, “ambulance chasers,” as Edwards did? That’s what the simple folk do.

Because it’s all so subtle, Edwards probably won’t be able to resolve easily this perceived shortcoming. He could point out to Democratic voters that nominating Ivy elites doesn’t tend to be a winning strategy. (Although now even the GOP has gone for these sorts of candidates with the two Bushes. Of course, look where it got them.) The populist Edwards could even run against Harvard and Yale specifically, in the same way that Carter once boasted that he wasn’t a lawyer. At a minimum, it might make things interesting.

Unfortunately, it’s an argument likely to fall on deaf ears in a Democratic universe that worships at the altar of Stanley Kaplan.

Edwards does have one consolation, however. His daughter is a student at Harvard Law. So maybe one day she can be the Democratic nominee.

REPUBLICANS
RUDY GIULIANI Odds: 5-3 | past week: same
MITT ROMNEY Odds: 7-2 | same
NEWT GINGRICH Odds: 5-1 | same
FRED THOMPSON Odds: 6-1 | same
JOHN MCCAIN Odds: 9-1 | same
MIKE HUCKABEE Odds: 100-1 | same
SAM BROWNBACK Odds: 1000-1 | same
TOMMY THOMPSON Odds: 20,000-1 | same
DUNCAN HUNTER Odds: 50,000-1 | same
RON PAUL Odds: 100,000-1 | same
TOM TANCREDO Odds: 150,000-1 | same

DEMOCRATS
BARACK OBAMA Odds: 4-3 | past week: same
HILLARY CLINTON Odds: 3-2 | same
JOHN EDWARDS Odds: 6-1 | same
BILL RICHARDSON Odds: 65-1 | 60-1
JOE BIDEN Odds: 85-1 | same
CHRIS DODD Odds: 150-1 | same
DENNIS KUCINICH Odds: 100,000-1 | 50,000-1
MIKE GRAVEL Odds: 2 million to 1 | 1 million to 1

On the Web
The Presidential Tote Board blog: //www.thephoenix.com/toteboard