Edwards Did The Right Thing, Pollster Says

Asked about the reaction of some bloggers that Edwards cynically used his wife's illness to attract sympathy, most political pros say the couple handled the situation well. "The vast majority of voters will conclude that Senator Edwards did exactly the right thing by making it public," Democratic Pollster Geoff Garin observes, because such openness is what most Americans expect of major presidential candidates these days.

Political sources say John and Elizabeth Edwards never seriously considered ending the campaign. But some Democratic insiders admit that another candidate might have made a different choice and at least suspended the campaign to spend time comforting his or her spouse and their children.

Another item of chatter on the political circuit this morning is that Elizabeth Edwards' bravery in dealing with the recurrence of cancer will help her--and, by association, her husband--bond with female voters. This could lure women voters away from Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front runner who is using gender as a pillar of her own presidential campaign.

By Kenneth T. Walsh