John Edwards’ decision to pull out of next year’s NC Senate race is no surprise–it’s been known for weeks he would do this. What is surprising is how quickly this Dem wonder boy has sunk in the party establishment’s estimation. This was the guy who was going to duplicate the Clinton trick of running for the White House as moderate southern Dem. But he’s gone nowhere (except in the fundraising category, where he has posted some impressive numbers). A lot of candidates could run for president and Senate at the same time–they’re popular enough to pull it off. But Edwards can’t. Is he already a has-been?