For Kerry, two's a crowd

National | PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS: Democratic voters narrow the field, but refuse to give front-runner Kerry the knockout blow he needed. That leaves Edwards the viable alternative, and raises the value of Super Tuesday. But is it too little, too late for the North Carolina newcomer? | Bob Jones

For John Edwards, two seems to be the magic number. His rival, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, has won all but two of the Democratic primaries thus far, but the North Carolina senator once again placed No. 2 in Wisconsin, effectively narrowing the race to just two candidates.

Now the question becomes: Is that too little, too late?

The Wisconsin primary on Feb. 17 was supposed to be a two-man race between Sen. Kerry and Howard Dean, who had staked his incredible shrinking campaign on a strong finish in a state known for its left-wing Democratic politics. In the end, however, the former Vermont governor was barely a factor in the race. His distant third-place finish left him little choice but to pull the plug on a campaign that had already spent weeks on life support.