our coverage begins in the town of idabel, oklahoma. this is just under 50 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, please join me and welcoming the next president of the united states, john edwards. [applause] ♪ [indistinct conversations] >> we are very honored to have you. this is our mayor. senator edwards: nice to see you, mayor. >> [indiscernible] sen. edwards: we ready to go? let's go. i appreciate everybody being here today. it's great to be here. this feels like home to me. i grew up in a small town in north carolina very much like this, except not this big. this is very big compared to where i grew up. let me talk to a number of things happening in this country -- jerry mentioned a couple of them -- the loss of jobs so many communities are having, to pay on the jobs that they have got and to replace the jobs that have been lost. during the time that president bush has been in office, 3 million americans of pollen into poverty, almost 4 million americans have lost their health care coverage. 9 million-plus americans without the dignity

next, they went to hugo, oklahoma, about an hour west of idabel were edwards met with voters.ou.ce to see doing? you >> thank you for including rural america in your tour. >> i understand that. >> good to have you here. >> good to see you, how are you doing? we appreciate you being here. good to see you. how are you doing? good to see you. i did not mean to make you get up. good to see you. >> you are the first candidate that i have ever come to see. >> is that right? thank you, happy to be here. how are you all doing? nice to see you. >> all these people say they will vote for you. >> good, that's what i was going for. i am retired in the army. >> yes. absolutely. how are you all doing? good to see you. glad to be here. thank you. appreciate you all coming. how are you? nice to meet you. >> this is one of my highly motivated government students. >> thank you both for being here. nice to see you. are you guys doing? how are you? very happy to be here, nice to see you. great to see you, again. nice to see you. how are you doing? nice to see you. glad to be here. thank you for c

and assignment that i absolutely -- think it was one the best assignment idabel because it exposed me to understanding the importance of understanding those with whom you work that may not be just like you. important tour as the general indicated, help create this mosaic to inform things that are there came to in as i move along. had the great opportunity to command the 25th infantry division, a part of the u.s. pacific command area of responsibility, traveling all over south asia region, again being exposed to folks who are not like me, not like my focus, but learning. lessons learned. lessons learned. i told the journal he probably gave my talk in his summation because it's so true. -- the general. it's about how you understand people and how you build relationships. that theme will come forth again as i talk to your. that asymmetrical threat we faced in 1980 to come it was there. things went on in the balkans and on september 11, 2001, as i sat in the pentagon as the vice director of operations on the joint staff's, the threat became real in no uncertain terms. and as i spent four