Edwards' Pit Poodle Nips At Hillary and Obama's Heels

John Edwards' wife Elizabeth has decided to take on the role of defender of John and attacker of his critics and opponents. You would normally describe a person in that role as a "pit bull", but since no self-respecting metrosexual like John Edwards would dare own a pit bull, I'll have to describe her as Edwards' pit poodle. Yesterday the pit poodle went after Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: In an interview in August's edition of The Progressive magazine, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Senator John Edwards, D-N.C., takes candid shots at the other candidates battling for the Democratic nomination against her husband.

"The problem for me with the other candidates is I don't know what it is that drives them," she explained, "I should think the president has to be somebody who has that kind of vision outside themselves."

Mrs. Edwards praised her husband for apologizing for his vote in favor of the Iraq War, and questioned Senator Hillary Clinton's, D-N.Y., for not doing the same.

"She even, in the New Hampshire debate said, 'I made a mistake.' People are looking for a mea culpa from her. And when she buried a line like that –- I give her credit for saying that –- but when she buries that line... we're electing a leader of the free world, and just like the votes on this last funding bill, we're looking for a leader," Edwards contended.

And while Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., was in the Illinois state legislature and not the Senate in 2003, Mrs. Edwards equally questioned his motives.

"Obama gives a speech that's likely to be extraordinarily popular in his home district," Edwards said, "and then comes to the Senate and votes for funding... so you are going to get people behaving in a holier-than-thou way."

That wasn't all. There's more here.

Mrs. Edwards is approaching this campaign from a unique position. Her terminal illness, which by most medical standards has a pretty poor five year survival rate, has in some ways made her immune to serious criticism. I think most of the media walk on eggshells when talking about her role. I think if any GOP candidate's wife was as openly critical of others as Edwards is, she would probably take a beating in the press. Just look at the criticism Judy Giuliani and Jeri Thompson have received.

When I watch Edwards' actions in this campaign I can't help but feel like she's approaching this as her last crusade. She knows that this is John's last serious attempt to win the nomination because if he doesn't win this time, no one will even look twice at him in the future. Besides that reality, her own mortality, should the medical prognosis turn out as feared, would indicate that she may not have another opportunity to campaign for John.

Unfortunately for both of them, John Edwards doesn't have a chance. Hillary will probably win the nomination (unless her negatives become overwhelming even for Democrats), and Barack Obama will always be the fallback position for the party despite his obvious lack of experience in matters of foreign policy. I just can't see the Dems making Edwards their "flight to quality" as John Kerry was following the Dean Scream in '04.

Edwards will likely continue to poll in the mid to low teens, but this time won't find himself on the ticket as a Vice Presidential candidate. His political career will be effectively over by February 5th.