Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, running behind Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois in the Democratic race, says he has sworn off $400 haircuts.
   Critics have used Edwards’ expensive haircuts to try to raise questions about his commitment to fighting poverty, a central theme of his presidential campaign.
   The subject came up in a “town hall meeting” broadcast the other day on ABC’S “Good Morning America,” when a woman asked Edwards how he justified spending $400 on a haircut.
    “I don’t. No excuses,” Edwards replied. “But can I just tell you, you know, some lessons you learn the hard way. I’ve learned my lesson. I got a very cheap haircut a few days ago, and I’m going to keep getting cheap haircuts.”
    The Edwards campaign refused to elaborate on Edwards’ comment, with a spokesman saying Edwards wanted to stay focused on his poverty campaign.