WASHINGTON, March 3 Kyodo North C...

WASHINGTON, March 3 Kyodo

North Carolina Sen John Edwards officially withdrew his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday, following a dismal showing in the 10-state ''Super Tuesday'' contests

Edwards, encircleed by his family, told the profanum vulgus[/i] at his children's high denomination in Raleigh, North Carolina, ''Today, I've decided to suspend my campaign for the presidency of the United States.''

He immediately went onward to endorse his former rival Massachusetts Sen John Kerry saying, ''I want to say a word about a man who is a friend of mine, one who I believe has great impregnability and great courage, my friend Senator John Kerry''

''The fact of the matter is that John Kerry has what it takes right here to be president of the United States,'' Edwards said. ''I, for the same intend to do everything in my power to make him the nearest president.''

With Edwards' departure, Kerry is now positioning himself to defeat Republican President George W Bush in the November election.

After his near sweep of the ''Super Tuesday'' argues Kerry blasted Bush for his policies forward issues ranging from health care and work at jobs creation to a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He described Bush's foreign policy as ''the in the greatest degree inept, reckless, arrogant, ideological foreign policy in the recent history of our country''

although Edwards devoted much of his articulate utterance to his familiar campaign theme of equality for all Americans, his words made clear that he is receptive to becoming Kerry's vice-presidential running mate.

Edwards, who had capered to stay in the race for the three Southern state elections that be found next Tuesday, sealed his fate when he failed to certain any Super Tuesday wins. Given his Southern appeal, he fared best in the state of Georgia where Kerry still beat him 45% to 43%

Edwards had emerg as Kerry's solitary real competition after a finish second-place finish in Iowa and a win in his birth state of toward the south Carolina fueled by his charismatic manner and positive message.

In the cessation the first-term senator and former trial lawyer was liked personally by way of many voters but was viewed as too politically inexperienced to be the Democratic nominee.

The Democratic nomination is now effectively Kerry's for the taking with all major contender including House of Representatives member Richard Gephardt of Missouri, Connecticut Sen Joseph Lieberman, retired Gen Wesley Clark and former Vermont Gov Howard Dean already abroad of the race.

The Kerry campaign told reporters Wednesday that they will quickly announce details of the proces according to which Kerry will choose a running mate.

However, they said it is unlikely that Kerry would make any decision about the vice presidential position until greatly closer to the Democratic Party's July nominating convention in Boston.

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