COLUMBIA, S.C.â€â€Democratic candidate Sen. John Edwards followed the unwritten rules for a church visit before the primary in which he carried his home state.
Rule number one, according to a report in The Mercury News, is not to try to compete with the Lord.
Edwards skipped his usual pumped fist, thumbs-up sign and happy warrior wave and just sat down to show respect at the Bible Way Church of Atlas Road.
"This is God's house, and we are here to worship God. He comes first, and everybody else comes second," said member Tracy Rhoda. "We all come here to survive, not to hear politics. I come twice a week, just to keep myself together when times are hard."
Edwards was quiet and stayed for the entire two-hour service at the prominent African-American church. Pastor Darrell Jackson, a state senator and Edwards backer, made vague references to Edwards in his sermon and indicated he would vote for Edwards.
Edwards may also have been cautioned by Jackson about rules two and three: not to imitate the worship style of the church, or the preaching style of the minister. Edwards didn't do either.
Preaching may have been what wilted candidate Wesley Clark's appearance at Bible Way a couple weeks earlier when the retired general tried to match the Rev. Al Sharpton in cadence and energy.
Edwards' visit passed muster. He did not forget himself as a politician. He spoke after the service and briefly.
