Energy and the presidential race

Edwards is also solidly in the Democrats' energy camp, but he holds some novel ideas of his own.

Edwards has plans that are in line with his party on raising mileage standards, taxing Big Oil, funding renewables and using more green power.

"Our generation must be the one that builds the new energy economy," Edwards said on his Web site. "It is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war."

Edwards highlights the farmer and the contributions rural America can have in combating global warming.

In addition to a big biofuels mandate, he'd allow farmers to sell carbon credits to industry if they mange their land in a climate-friendly way, like by planting more trees or capturing methane emissions from cattle.

He'd also create a "GreenCorps," a kind of domestic PeaceCorps that would enlist young people to weatherize homes, install solar panels and do other energy-related projects.