Yes, it did. No, they don't. And, in fact, the official line from nearly any of the dozen or so Democrats mulling a presidential run is that it's way too early for talk of that. So virtually everywhere one turns in Washington these days are signs of Democrats stretching to get their heads an inch or two above the crowd in anticipation of a faraway race. And there are multiple contenders rushing to any available microphone on Earth Day to denounce the administration's unpopular plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
People have a memory, and they can be reminded of things.
This kind of profile sharpening, say Democrats, is in many ways more important than more conventional ways of generating chatter about presidential intentions, such as speaking in an early battleground like New Hampshire or Iowa, raising money in California or forming a political action committee. Of course, most Democrats interested in a White House run are doing the conventional things, too. Few considered it coincidence that Edwards accepted an invitation to speak at Iowa's Drake University. But more important at this stage, say analysts, are such things as appearing on the Sunday TV talk shows. Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, keeps a running tally of which senators have appeared most frequently.