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Save The Children?

By Hillary Profita

March 6, 2007 / 10:56 AM EST / CBS News

(Getty Images/Matthew Peyton)

In the race for the White House, it isn't just the candidates who are getting press attention. In the past few days, Rudy Giuliani's children – from whom the former New York City mayor is apparently estranged -- have grabbed headlines. At least one reporter has mixed feelings about covering candidates' kids. Writes Time correspondent Karen Tumulty on the magazine's Swampland blog:

I've gotta admit I feel torn about this one. On the one hand, I'm not all that comfortable with writing about a politician's children. (Whatever else you say about the MSM during the Clinton years, it pretty much--with some notable exceptions--left Chelsea alone.) And given the stakes of this election, personal dramas really should take a back seat to big issues.
But then again, you can't discount that there is an interesting political situation here for the guy who is leading in the polls. As the NYT points out--and has a slide show to prove it--Rudy's children have been a big asset in his political career in the past. Family values, and how you live them, have an important place in Republican primary politics. And for both of his leading opponents, their children are an important part of the message. McCain's support of the war has more poignance because of the fact that his son signed up to serve. And Romney's family--five handsome sons, married to beautiful wives--could be a poster for functionality.