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This whole "experience" issue is overrated, and I think is just being used as political smokescreen.
The conservative icon Ronald Reagan went straight from having _no_ experience in government (Republican politics, yes, government, no) to the governorship of California. Yet of all the pros and cons of his tenure as head of our great state, "inexperience" is not an issue that arises. Why? Because he didn't come into office alone. He had a whole team of advisers, all politically savvy, that came in with him.
Edwards is a trial lawyer. Any good trial lawyer on big cases must be able to gather vast volumes of facts (usually through managing a large team) synthesize a position from them in the face of many pros and cons, make a strong case, negotiate fiercely, and at the same time educate his clients to the gap between what they want and what is practical. These seem like good core skills for any executive office. And if they're not precisely what's needed, that's where the advisers come in.
And these adviser's aren't just hired off the street. Some of Bush's core political advisers, including Cheney, were passed down from his daddy. And often in the case of political novices the candidate is actually recruited by party bosses and backers who present to them a package of money and trusted (by the bosses) advisers.
In short, sometimes the candidate is just like the little man on top of a wedding cake. He's in charge, but there's a lot of cake supporting him.
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