SIOUX CITY, IOWA - John Edwards has been a closer all of his life. As a Raleigh trial lawyer, his closing arguments drew other lawyers to watch his performance.

In his first bid for political office, in 1998, he closed strong to upset Republican U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth.

And he closed strong in Iowa four years ago, nearly winning the caucus before going on to become the Democratic nominee for vice president.

Last week, Edwards criss-crossed the snow-blanketed farmland of Iowa, appearing in schools, museums and courthouses to make his final arguments before the caucuses Jan. 3.

Edwards drew large crowds everywhere he went, with extra chairs being brought in and people spilling into hallways.

In past weeks, Edwards had help from stars such as singer Bonnie Raitt and actor Kevin Bacon.

But the stars have now been replaced by ordinary people who illustrate his campaign themes. Think of them as Edwards' star witnesses.

There was James Lowe, a retired Virginia coal miner who could barely speak most of his life because he was born with a severe cleft palate. Edwards says Lowe could not talk because he lacked health insurance. He recovered his voice only when a doctor at a rural health clinic performed an operation.

"James got his voice back," Edwards said. "Don't you think it's high time that you got your voice back?"

Edwards also had the Lakey family from Cary by his side. Valerie Lakey, who was badly injured by an open pool drain as a little girl, was Edwards' last big court case before he was elected to the Senate.

Lowe and the Lakeys underscored the theme of Edwards' closing -- that the poor and the middle class are in trouble, that our government in Washington has been corrupted by big business.

And that Edwards has the backbone to change the system.

Edwards talks about CEOs making hundreds of millions of dollars and corporations earning record profits while manufacturing plants are closing and the number of uninsured people continues to rise.

His pitch seems increasingly aimed at gut emotions.

"Corporate greed is stealing your children's future," Edwards said in Iowa City.

Edwards is also arguing electability -- that he's a Red State Democrat who is the Democrats' best chance of regaining the White House.

"I grew up in rural America," Edwards said. "I grew up in a small town. This message of fighting for change is one that will work everywhere. The last two Democrats who were elected president of the United States, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, talked like this."

Edwards has virtually made Iowa his second home. He had been leading in Iowa until this summer, when he lost the lead to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But there are now signs -- the polls, the crowds and the buzz -- that Edwards may be peaking at the right time.

"Having been through this before," Edwards said Friday on Iowa public TV, "I know what you have to do. I know what you have to do to close. ..."

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