This evening, after George Bush addresses the nation (for free on all networks) regarding his non-withdrawal withdrawal plan for Iraq, John Edwards is going to respond with two minutes of purchased time on MS-NBC.

Is Edwards’ response a campaign pitch? Of course. But more importantly, he’s using the time to actually, you know, lead - and provide a true alternative plan for ending the occupation in Iraq - which is something that none of the other Democratic Party 2008 presidential candidates have yet to actually do.

At this point, it goes without saying that the next POTUS is going to have to clean up the gargantuan mess that the Bush regime has left in the middle east. David Petraeus’ testimony in various venues this week not withstanding, the occupation of Iraq has to end, for both their sake and the sake of American security.

Petraeus was asked yesterday (or the day before, I forget, the days fade into one another anymore) if American was safer because of the regime’s involvement in Iraq. His first response, later embellished, was about as honest as he could get. He didn’t know. Of course, that was a gut response glossed over with political correctness as he thought out the answer on the spur of the moment.

The real answer, as we all know, is a resounding “NO”. Our military is strapped to the limit, our material resources to continue the battle in the name of the terror-industrial complex is stretched to the breaking point, and a vast majority of America has finally awoken from its post-9/11 slumber.

I’m glad to see John Edwards treading where none of the other candidates seem willing to commit: a firm plan for withdrawal on an accelerated schedule. That he’s using his own campaign cash to provide what is essentially the Democratic Party response to George Bush is even more impressive.

Update: Senator Jack Reid (D-RI) and Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-Tx) will provide the official Democratic Party response to Bush’s address this evening.