Outside the Beltway

Edwards on Coke

James Joyner · Sunday, July 11, 2004 · 3 comments

Matt Drudge has unearthed a fascinating revelation from TIME magazine:

The nation’s top magazine leads the journalism pack on Monday with an in-depth investigation on the background of Dem VP pick John Edwards. TIME magazine’s Karen Tumulty has learned: John Edwards drinks Diet Coke — a lot of Diet Coke!

TIME unearths: “The North Carolinian who would be a caffeine-and-sodium-buzzed heartbeat away from the presidency subsequently admitted that ‘on a good day’ he has been known to open four before noon, at which point Kerry pronounced himself stunned, seized the can from Edwards and started reading the nutrition label aloud. ‘Sodium, 2%. Protein, John, zero,’ he called as Edwards scrambled for the door. As for himself, Kerry owned up: ‘When I drink Coke, I have to drink the real thing, because of the sugar in it.'”

Not to be outdone by at least nine joint interviews Kerry and Edwards have conducted in the past few days with newspapers, news services and magazines, all embargoed for a Sunday release that would coincide with the pair’s appearance on 60 MINUTES, editors at TIME snag the quote of the week: “This man drinks a lot of Diet Coke,” Kerry whispers to TIME, in its cover story set for maximum Monday impact.

Developing. . . .