Bravely choosing to announce today despite Gerald Ford greedily consuming all the teevee news time from Beyond the Grave, John Edwards went down to New Orleans to show he's the kind of person who will be photographed pretending to shovel mud with poor black people.

Let's all laugh at more photos of the big event, after the jump.

Here we see the unemployed former senator about to collapse from the weight of a tiny shovelful of dirt, while one of "John's Ladies" wanders around in some Star Wars-font Edwards' shirt from the 1970s.

Message: I care. I care about dirt.

Smiley McCarolina shows some "tough love" by savagely beating this poor dude who wasn't acting like he was shoveling fast enough.

After many hours of digging and lots of chanty workmen songs and the usual evading of the Nazi archaeologists, John Edwards uncovers the Ark of the Covenant and the Light of YHWH shines down upon him.

Whose got a dirty widdle nose? Johnny Edwards does, doesn't he?

"Sure I'm pretty like a little girl, but I've got HUUUUUUGE balls. Presidents got to have 'em."

John Edwards Joins Presidential Race [AP]

Slideshow: John Edwards [AP/Yahoo]

Welcome to the official John Edward website [JohnEdward.net]