Elizabeth Edwards Joins CAP

Not sure if this was expected or known in advance, but the announcement today that Elizabeth Edwards is joining the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow is striking in two ways. First, it’s great for CAP. Think tanks don’t often get the benefit of having famous and well-liked authors or thinkers on their staffs. Hers will be a prominent voice on the health care debate going forward, and CAP will bask in her reflected fame. Second, CAP, which was founded by former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta, has been operating for the past two years as a kind of Hillary Clinton Administration-in-waiting. We already know Elizabeth believes Hillary Clinton’s health care plan is superior to Barack Obama’s — in part because Hillary’s plan is much closer, in its claims to universality, to the one put forward by Elizabeth’s husband. But does the fact that Elizabeth is coming aboard CAP signal that John is finally going to endorse, and that he’ll throw his support to Clinton?