In 2004, Edwards was Mr. Sunshine. Indeed, one of the political cartoons showed jumper cables running from the corners of his smile to Kerry's deadpan face in an attempt to jolt his running mate into a little lightheartedness. The new, more populist John Edwards is darker. The electric smiles are still there, occasionally. But now the eyes are often narrowed in anger, and there are moments when his nose wrinkles in disgust or his mouth curls in contempt as he discusses the urgency of change and the forces he sees as protecting the status quo. A good number of his smiles are actually skeptical, meant to soften the blow of a grim prognosis for the country.