Edwards: Iraq, economy tied

John Edwards wants to end the war in Iraq to help the recession.

The former Democratic presidential candidate announced today that he is joining a group of anti-war activists who are trying to spotlight the cost of the war and its effects on the U.S. economy.

Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, have joined the Iraq/Recession Campaign, along with John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress, Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org; and Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change, among others.

In a conference call this morning, Edwards said he met a lot of Americans on the campaign trail who had "angst" over spending on the war.

"People don't understand why we're spending $500 billion and counting in Iraq at the same time that we've got, you know, 40-plus million Americans who don't have any health-care coverage, 37 million living in poverty, people terrified about being able to pay their bills," he said. "It doesn't make sense to them, and they see no end in sight."

Edwards praised Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for saying the war should be ended. His wife, Elizabeth, said voters who are concerned about the economy should be concerned about Iraq as well.