Edwards still holding out

John Edwards continued to play coy this morning, shying again from endorsing in the Democratic race.

In interviews on NBC and MSNBC, he did allow the obvious -- that Barack Obama, who is leading in delegates and popular vote with only six contests left, is likely to be the nominee.

"It's very difficult to make the math work,'' Edwards said of Clinton's assertion that she can still win.

Asked who would be the better candidate against John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, Edwards at first said both Clinton and Obama can win. Pressed further, he picked Obama because he is the likely nominee.

UPDATE: Some political junkies are theorizing that at one point in the interviews, Edwards slipped up and acknowledged backing Obama.

Edwards said it was "very likely" that he would eventually endorse the candidate he voted for in Tuesday's North Carolina primary. He then seemed to say, "I just voted -- I just voted for him on Tuesday."

But then when he was asked, "So it was a him or a her that you voted for?" Edwards said, "No, no" and laughed.

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, has been courted by both sides since he dropped out of the nomination fight in late January. Most analysts believe he favors Obama, but one reason he might be staying publicly neutral is that his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, has tilted toward Clinton, publicly praising Clinton's healthcare plan over Obama's.