He Said, She Said

As you know, back on March 25th, John & Elizabeth Edwards sat down for an interview with Katie Couric for 60 Minutes. Here is a sniplet of the interview:

Katie Couric: Politics, as you know, can be a cynical
business.

John Edwards: No!

Katie Couric: You didn't know that?

John Edwards: Yeah, I was not aware of that.

Katie Couric: Glad I… (laughter) I'm glad I could teach you something today. Some have suggested that you're capitalizing on this.

John Edwards: Here's what I would say about that.

First of all, there's not a single person in America that should vote for me because Elizabeth has cancer. Not a one. If you're considering doing it, don't do it. Do not vote for us because you feel some sympathy or compassion for us. That would be an enormous mistake. The vote for the presidency is far too important for any of those things to influence it.

Yet, just today, in the Times Union, there is an article by Nedra Pickler which states the following:

Elizabeth Edwards once wrote that she liked campaigns when she was a safe distance from the cameras.

But she has been firmly in the spotlight since she and her husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, announced last month she is fighting a recurrence of cancer.

As the two campaigned this past week through Iowa and New Hampshire, she became a draw in her own right. Supporters waved signs that said "Iowa Lives Strong for Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth for First Lady," and staff quickly put up rope lines around her at the end of campaign events to control the well-wishers who mobbed her.

She said if curiosity or compassion bring out voters who will listen to her husband speak, she is happy to be the draw. But Elizabeth Edwards' influence on her husband's career runs long and deep.

If voters turn out to listen to John Edwards because of their curiosity or compassion about Elizabeth's cancer, she's happy to be the draw. Wow. Of course, "bringin' them out" and "voting" are completely different, but I can't help but wonder how using this compassion is not capitalizing on the fact she has cancer?