Robert Novak defends Jeri Thompson. (Thankfully, no upcoming secret U.S. counterterrorism missions are compromised in today’s column.)
I would note that in all previous races where there has been a “meddling spouse” storyline, the problem has usually been that the spouse – often a lovely and nice person in an of themselves – attempts to overrule the judgment of people whose professional livelihood depends on making the right decision about campaigns. They insist that the public at large will see the candidate as they see their spouse, and generally have a bad sense of “how it will play in Peoria.”
Novak writes that departing not-quite-campaign chief Tom Collamore has “vastly less political experience than Mrs. Thompson has.” While Collamore’s no rookie – otherwise, why bring him into the campaign in that role in the first place? — the chances that Jeri Thompson is exhibiting the usual “meddling spouse” problems seem pretty slim.
(Okay, maybe Elizabeth Dole’s husband knows a thing or two about running Senate campaigns…)