Reply #31: Edwards is one of the few politicians who could actually say that . . .

[mbali]

He is so smart that he's not afraid to admit he doesn't understand something. One of the reasons he never made any serious missteps during the primary was that if he didn't understand a question, he'd say so and ask for clarification. Most politicians would never do that for fear that they would look unintelligent. Edwards is so brilliant, he doesn't have that fear. It's like he figures that if he doesn't understand you, the only possible explanation is that you're just not making any sense.

In this instance, he used that attitude to make Bush look ridiculous - implicit in what he said is "Not only don't most Americans have a clue what he's talking about, but I'm WAY smarter than he is and I can't figure out what the hell he means. What an idiot!"