John Edwards' 36-Hour Bus Tour: Will It Win Votes in New Hampshire?

This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," January 7, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Well, John Edwards saying today that it takes strength to be the commander in chief, after learning of Hillary Clinton's emotional moment earlier in the day. Right now, he is in the middle of another 36-hour tour throughout New Hampshire. His last marathon, in Iowa, pushed him to a second-place finish. That is what he's hoping for this time.

With us now is Leo Hindery, the senior economic adviser for Senator Edwards.

Leon, good to see you.

You know, I wish your candidate was as forthcoming about coming on FOX as you are. He could take some tips from you.

LEO HINDERY, MANAGING PARTNER, INTERMEDIA PARTNERS: I tell you, we do well in New Hampshire, I'm bringing him on.

CAVUTO: Yes, all right. I'm going to hold you to that.

All right. Now, does he have to win New Hampshire...

(CROSSTALK)

HINDERY: No, he does not. John's whole candidacy is stretched through all these primaries. And, in some of your earlier segments, I was confused by some of those comments.

John very consistently has said Iowa, then New Hampshire, down to South Carolina, position yourself for Super Tuesday.

We need to do well. I mean, but everybody...

CAVUTO: What's well?

HINDERY: Oh, you know, I would love to see John come in second, as we did in Iowa, but a strong third would be fine with us.

I mean, John's candidacy is about competing through the primaries, all of them, right up to the convention. And we never set expectations, Neil, that would have dashed us based on any particular outcome.

CAVUTO: Well, the earliest one I remember was: We have to win Iowa.

HINDERY: Well, Iowa — Iowa — we did well in Iowa. We beat Hillary Clinton in Iowa, beat her pretty handily, given her sense of incumbency. And...

CAVUTO: So, your purpose now, obliterate her, marginalize her, right?

HINDERY: Well, our position is to become the nominee. And...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But you have to do that first by pushing her off the...

(CROSSTALK)

HINDERY: I think Senator Obama and Senator Edwards look at this contest as, how do you get to be there at the top? And, certainly, Hillary Clinton is an impediment to getting the nomination.

You know, we talked offline, Neil, that many people say this is the first election since '52 when there's not been an incumbent. Mrs. Clinton is, by her own measures, an incumbent. She speaks about it daily.

So, she came in with a presumption of being the party's nominee. And both Senator Edwards and Senator Obama have said: Look, look at me instead.

And that's what we're going through for John right now.

CAVUTO: But more of them are looking instead at Barack Obama than your guy.

Is it fair to say that, if he doesn't do well in New Hampshire, and then he kind of stumbles into the South, does poorly on Super Tuesday, that Leo Hindery, who many candidates would love to have on their force, looks elsewhere?

HINDERY: Oh, I look elsewhere when John Edwards looks elsewhere. I think John Edwards is going to be our nominee. I have felt that...

CAVUTO: Would he or could he be a running mate again?

HINDERY: You know, none of these individuals like to talk about that, because they're so...

CAVUTO: That would be weird, right? We never had...

HINDERY: Well, and you commit yourself to being the president. Not everybody who ran in this cycle had that deep-in-their-gut sort of ambition. But, certainly, John wants to be the president. He's not seeking to be the vice president.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: And he still thinks he has a good shot at that, right?

HINDERY: Oh, I think he has a very good shot.

CAVUTO: OK.

HINDERY: I think we have got a month here, and it's going to be a hectic one, Neil, but a pretty interesting one, to say the least.

CAVUTO: All right. We look forward to more of you on FOX Business Network tonight.

We can't get enough of Leo. So, there you go, if I have sufficiently wetted your appetite.

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