Abortion

"I believe in a woman's right to choose," Edwards said during the April 26, 2007, Democratic debate. "I believe the government should not make these health care decisions for women." He has voted against criminal penalties for harming an unborn fetus during another crime, voted in favor of lifting a ban on military base abortions, and voted against banning late-term abortions.

Climate

"We're 4 percent of the world's population emitting 25 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. We're a terrible example. We're the worst polluter on the planet. China is catching us, but they're still behind," Edwards said during the July 23, 2007, Democratic debate in South Carolina. He believes the U.S. ought to cap its greenhouse gas emissions, reduce greenhouse emissions by at least 80 percent by the year 2050 and auction off the right to emit any greenhouse gases."

Guns

"I grew up in the rural South. Everyone around me hunted, everyone had guns. I respect and believe in people's Second Amendment rights," Edwards said during the January 2004 Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire. "That does not, however, mean that somebody needs an AK-47 to hunt. It does not mean that somebody who's been convicted of a violent crime should be able to walk out of prison, walk across the street and buy a gun."

Health Care

Edwards is calling for universal coverage in his first term, by expanding system of federal health insurance and family tax credits, and by imposing requirements on employers, insurance companies and individuals. Increase taxes on wealthier families would pay for the program's cost, which he estimates to be up to $120 billion a year. "The only way to cover everybody is to mandate it," Edwards said during the July 23 Democratic debate.

Immigration

Edwards says the focus on controlling illegal immigration should be on "more Border Patrol, better use of technology, and absolutely a path to earn citizenship for those who are living here and who are undocumented. But we also have to get at the underlying causes of the migration from Mexico, which means addressing the issue of poverty, education, health, the reason that so many are coming to the U.S."

Marriage

Edwards does not support gay marriage, but he does support civil unions and partnership benefits.

Taxes

Edwards favors a tax credit to match up to $500 a year in savings for families earning up to $75,000, targeted at retirement, college education, buying a home, investing in a small business or fir use during a financial or medical emergency. He would triple the Earned Income Tax Credit for single adults and cut the marriage penalty. And to simplify U.S. taxes, Edwards favors a plan in which the Internal Revenue Service would calculate tax bills and mail them out on a new "Form 1." Families would then verify or challenge the result.

Iraq

"I should never have voted for this war," Edwards said on June 3 of his Senate support for Bush's Iraq war authorization in 2002. "I will do absolutely everything to find terrorists where they are, to stop them before they can do harm to us, before they can do harm to the U.S. or to its allies. Every tool available-military, alliances, intelligence -- I will use."