Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards formally entered the 2008 presidential race Thursday, saying during a stop in Iowa the U.S. needs to restore its moral leadership around the world.

According to the Sioux City Journal, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee drew hundreds of visitors to a town hall meeting in Des Moines for his first Iowa appearance as an official 2008 contender.

Edwards used the platform to continue his most popular campaign theme from 2004 - reducing poverty in America - while also urging troop withdrawal in Iraq and greater action in the fight against global warming.

“The rest of the world needs to believe that we recognize not just our responsibility to ourselves, but our responsibility to humanity,” Edwards said.

During his 2004 campaign for the presidency, in which he won one primary before settling for the number-two spot on the Democratic ticket, Edwards repeatedly stressed that “two Americas” existed, one for the rich and one for the poor. He said that is increasingly true since the election, and is in the process of developing a proposal for a universal health care system.

The North Carolina native kicked off his announcement tour earlier in the day in New Orleans, where America’s class divide was revealed in stark terms after Hurricane Katrina. Edwards urged the crowd to take action now on the pressing issues facing the country, and is enlisting his supporters in a volunteer effort called “One Corps.”

“He’s honest and smart, and if he makes a mistake he’s not too proud to admit it,” said Dean Rote, a retiree from Perry, Iowa.

Edwards did reiterate his regret for voting as a U.S. senator to authorize the use of force in Iraq. He said it would be an “enormous mistake” to send more troops to Iraq as GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona has proposed.

“What we should do is make it clear we’re not going to stay in Iraq, and the best way to make it clear is to actually start leaving,” Edwards said.

Edwards has signaled he will campaign aggressively in the Iowa caucuses even though Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is running.

The 53-year-old Edwards offers voters an alternative to the potentially polarizing Hillary Rodham Clinton and the inexperienced Barack Obama - neither of whom have officially entered the race. Several other big-name Democrats, such as former Vice President Al Gore and Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, are also rumored to be running in 2008.

As a candidate, Edwards was famed for his brilliant oration and optimistic, positive attitude, refusing to attack his opponents. He is also one of the few contenders with humble beginnings - Edwards is the son of a postal worker and textile mill worker, and the first member of his family to attend college - lending much credibility to his populist message.

On the surface, it’s hard to see the wildly successful trial lawyer going up against some of the heavyweights rumored to be mulling runs at the Oval Office. Those youthful good looks only get you so far, and he had little impact on the 2004 race after accepting the vice presidential nomination. Retiring from the Senate after one term doesn’t do a lot to ease concerns about his own inexperience, either

But in a race with no clear favorite, and without the political baggage others must lug behind them, there’s no telling what a charismatic figure like this could achieve. This is the first presidential election in 80 years in which no sitting president or vice president is seeking the office, leaving the door open for the greatest of upsets.

America needs a fresh approach, a new direction. Edwards would love to be the man that provides it. We’ll see if he is able.