Edwards continues to bravely tell the American people what he will need from them to solve our country's problems.

At a Democratic presidential forum focused on health care, Edwards pressed his rivals to provide a detailed plan to cover the nation's uninsured -- estimated at about 47 million -- and describe how they will pay for it.

His chief competitors, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, did not rule out the possibility that they would follow his lead with a plan requiring a tax increase, but they provided no specifics.

Taxes. This is the Republicans all time favorite carrot. They lead their base around by the nose by constantly talking about how they will NEVER raise taxes. Bush's father lost much of his support by realizing that he had to raise taxes to pay for his government. Since then the republicans have hidden their tax raises and shunted the brunt of them onto the poorest Americans who cannot afford to donate money to their re-election campaigns anyhow.

If you can't give, you don't count.

But Edwards is telling Americans that in order to provide comprehensive health care to ALL Americans he will need to raise taxes. This will provide ammunition to the Republicans and he knows it. But he is confidant that he can explain how this is the only way to make sure that the people who truly need the care will receive it. And by doing that will challenge the republicans, and his fellow Democrats, how they would do it any differently. The answer is that they can't.

So let us see what Hillary and Obama have to offer on this topic. If they cower away from talking about the cost of implementing universal health care that will say much about their character. It is time to "put up, or shut up".