Excerpts from the interviews linked above:

WINFREY: Is it a day by day thing? 
EDWARDS: Neither one of us is out the door so I guess it’s day by day, but
maybe it’s month by month. 
WINFREY: So you are still living together? 
EDWARDS: Still living together. 
WINFREY: Are you still in love with him? 
EDWARDS: You know, that’s a complicated question. 

REPORTER: But you are saying it may go beyond the state court process.
PAWLENTY: It’s one of many scenarios. So if the question is will you sign the certificate exactly the day the Minnesota Supreme Court decides, well if the court process at the state level is continuing than I am prohibited to sign it. So it is more involved than just that one day that one moment. There are other factors here.

Both answers are made more complicated or involved by presidential politics. The high-office aspirations of John Edwards are now relegated to history by his admitted marital infidelity. Pawlenty’s, however, may get a boost or a dent depending on how he handles his responsibility of issuing an election certificate to either Al Franken or Norm Coleman.

But the parallels aren’t perfect.

Edwards is himself under investigation by U.S. Attorney George Holding’s office in Charlotte, N.C., and a federal grand jury may be empaneled.

Coleman hasn’t been publicly implicated by an FBI probe into allegations made in a Texas civil suit that a campaign donor secretly funneled him money.

But if worse comes to worse, both Edwards and Coleman have the same “Get Out of Jail Free” card up their sleeves. National Public Radio has reported that one reason Holding’s boss, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, let Ted Stevens go free was the Alaskan’s status as a former U.S. senator.

And speaking of offices they’re not in, Edwards is doubly lucky not to be president.

Why? Health care is a top election issue, political ads aim to impact emotions, and — as Brian Rank, a Twin Cities oncologist, puts it – ”cancer is an emotional microcosm of health care in the United States.”

The ads range from hard-hitting to soft focus, some citing specific, individual cases while others take a broad-brush approach. U.S. Sen. John McCain’s cancer-surgery scars? MSNBC won’t go there. Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer? Ads for her husband John’s presidential campaign didn’t need to say “cancer” to go there.

“The ad that I shuddered at is the one that said ‘I’m going to be fighting cancer and the insurance companies,’” says Rank. Ads that set a divisive tone, in his opinion, won’t help the country come together to grapple with weighty health care issues, like how to cover 40 million to 50 million uninsured people.

Rank was surprised to hear who belongs to the independent organization behind the ad, which is targeting its attack on McCain and several Republican congressional candidates across the country, including Republican state Rep. Erik Paulsen, who is running for the 3rd District U.S. House seat, and U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, who last week demanded the ad be pulled. The coalition, called Health Care for America Now, includes medical professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Nurses Association, alongside labor unions and other progressive groups.

Regarding the recent ad that showed McCain’s melanoma scar, Rank said he as has conflicting feelings. “Where is health care privacy?” he wonders, while at the same time recalling the case of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas, whose campaign for the Democaratic nomination for president in 1992 included medical claims of a full recovery from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, when in fact cancer had returned after a bone marrow transplant. “His Dana Farber [Cancer Institute] docs weren’t quite honest as he was running,” Rank recalls.

(McCain’s very limited release of medical records continues to inspire concern about the state of his health and calls for greater openness among all four candidates on the major party tickets.)

Rank says he doesn’t think cancer should be off limits in political advertising, even though the advertisers’ primary motivation for bringing up the topic in ads often isn’t to advance the needed national debate over health care.  ”Things that elevate that dialogue are welcome,” Rank says. “In an ideal situation you’d want people to be transparent and open and honest in the ads — which is not what political ads are for.”

And even when the ads strike emotional gold — as with the two spots featuring the Edwardses that hint or more at Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer — events can undercut the message. “It’s hard to have an emotional response now, knowing that he had an affair during the time,” Rank observes.

Rank recommends searching out real medical information about cancer from the National Cancer Institute and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Candidates’ Web sites contain much better information about their positions on health care, he observes, along with sites such as RealClearPolitics.

Here are six cancer-themed political TV ads from this election cycle, followed by a clip from Bill Moyers on Lee Atwater, a victim of cancer and a victimizer through campaign ads.

BraveNew PAC ad: “McCain is 72. He’s had cancer 4 times.”
Key quote: “Another bout of cancer for John McCain while he’s president of the United States would profoundly impact his capacity to lead.”
Note: MSNBC banned this ad.

Health Care for America Now: “Erik Paulsen: Not On Your Side for Health Care”
Key quote: “He wants me to fight cancer AND the insurance companies? Fine. I’ll take you both on.”
Note: This ad in slightly altered form has appeared in seven other states in versions attacking other Republican candidates, one of whom has filed a formal complaint.

Coleman for Senate: “Wyatt”

Key quote: “Wyatt survived a rare form of cancer. He’s the reason I introduced the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act. See, you have to work on the big issues, but you can’t forget the little ones.”
Note: The boy in the ad, Wyatt Rech, was a poster child (in the metaphorical sense, anyway) for the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act this year.

Obama for America: “Mother”
Key quote: “My mother died of cancer at 53.”
Note: An early ad from September 2007, used into primary season.

John Edwards for President: “Heroes”
Key quote: “Elizabeth and I decided in the quiet of a hospital room, after 12 hours of tests and after getting very bad news, what we were going to spend our lives doing. For all those that have no voice. We are not going to quietly go away. Instead we are going to go out and fight for what it is we believe in.”
Note: This November 2007 ad came seven months after Elizabeth Edwards’ breast-cancer diagnosis and combines hospital scenes with shots of Iowans, whose Jan. 3 caucus day was then nearing.

John Edwards for President: “John Edwards — 30 years”
Key quote: “It’s unbelievably important that in our president we have someone who can stare the worst in the face and not blink.”
Note: Cancer is not mentioned directly but implied in the narration by Elizabeth Edwards, whose announcement of her diagnosis in March 2007 was still fresh four months later when this ad was released, and in the ad’s opening shot of John and Elizabeth Edwards, which is taken from that announcement.

At the crossroads of TV political advertising and cancer is Lee Atwater, who managed George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign. In this three-minute video essay, Bill Moyers charts the epiphany that arrived late in the short life of Lee Atwater, architect of the modern political attack ad, who shortly before dying of brain cancer in 1991 wrote:

My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. … It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don’t know who will lead us through the ’90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul.

Bill Moyers: “Lee Atwater’s Epiphany”

CNN reports: “John Edwards will endorse Sen. Barack Obama Wednesday at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Mich., according to Obama’s campaign.”

More from Chris Cilizza at the WashPost blog The Fix. And for live coverage please visit our sister site Michigan Messenger, where reporters are live at the event.

The complete number of nonfatal casualties in Iraq is 60,645. Most assume the wounded number includes all, but it does not. It leaves out another 8,273 injured and 23,052 who became ill and required medical air transport from the war zone. The Department of Defense releases two reports: one with the weekly numbers of those wounded and killed, and then another monthly report with the complete numbers. After five years, it is time for respected news organizations to use the complete number.

The public needs this information so that we can better prepare for the care of all of our veterans from this war and others. The struggle for them and their families your article addressed is happening all across this country. Nearly 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have already sought care from the V.A.

And what about Minnesota?

Edwards’ event Tuesday was held at the Carpenters’ Union Hall in St. Paul, with an estimated attendance of 1,200.  Obama’s event Saturday is being held at the Target Center — yes, the one where the Timberwolves play.  Attendance estimates?  Good luck.  Obama’s campaign has been pounding the pavement hard in Minnesota for several weeks, and it remains to be seen where Edwards’ strong support in the labor wing of the DFL goes next week on Super Tuesday.

CD3 Forum Tonight

DFL candidates Terri Bonoff, Jim Hovland and Ashwin Madia meet tonight for their final debate appearance before precinct caucuses in a forum sponsored by the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council.  Although there’s plenty of game left to be played, the debate promises at least a few fireworks as the candidates seek to encourage wide support at caucuses. Caucuses lead to Senate district conventions, which lead to the CD3 DFL convention, which is the end of the road for two of these candidates.  Tonight’s forum should be focused on bread-and-butter economic issues, which should provide interesting dynamics among the former Republican-turned-progressive Democrat Hovland and Bonoff, with his business background, and Madia, who’s been a strong stump presence.

The form will be held at the Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th St., in Plymouth.  Doors will open at 6 p.m., and I’ll be there to cover the proceedings.

Before a crowd of more than a thousand supporters who braved plummeting temperatures to hear him speak, former Sen. John Edwards made clear his intention to stay in the presidential race as long as it took to accomplish his goals.

Or until there simply aren’t any delegates left to win.

Edwards’ supporters at Tuesday’s event at the Carpenters’ Union Hall in St. Paul seemed unconcerned with his results in the early primary states. Several supporters declined to be interviewed on camera, but expressed their confidence that Edwards could overcome a media narrative that’s excluding their candidate as well as the millions of dollars his opponents, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), are putting into Super-Duper Tuesday, now less than a week away.

More after the jumpIn the span of four years since serving as John Kerry’s running mate, Edwards has become the voice of the Democratic Party’s populist wing. The heavily union crowd cheered lustily when he hit on keywords like universal health care, standing up to big corporations, and a national service plan for graduating high school students that would allow them to attend college on the taxpaying community’s dime.

But time is running out for his White House bid, with his two major Democratic opponents both outpolling him and outfundraising him at every turn. One volunteer told me  she doesn’t have a second choice in the race for the Democratic nomination, and in a previous election she might not have needed one, given the crowds Edwards has attracted and the money he has raised. But for every supporter at an Edwards rally, there are three at an Obama rally; for every Democratic National Convention superdelegate endorsement Edwards received, Hillary Clinton receives more. For every dollar Edwards raises, both Obama and Clinton hit their fundraising lists and outdo him. From outside, it seems a noble but ultimately doomed effort.

Which raises the question: what office is Edwards running for?

Supporters at Tuesday’s rally generally seemed unwilling to discuss the possibility of what Edwards would do after the campaign: Act as a kingmaker at the DNC convention? Endorse one of the frontrunners early and make a move for one cabinet position or another? Perhaps it’s just red meat to scare the corporate wing of the Republican Party into action, but columnist Bob Novak recently published rumors that talks were under way to make Edwards Attorney General in an Obama administration.

If Edwards can pull off several upsets next Tuesday and somehow stay in the race, his supporters might not have to contemplate those possibilities. If those surprise victories are not coming, however, the race for the Democratic nomination really will be down to the two-horse race being hawked by the Edwards campaign’s favorite punching bag: the traditional media.

It’s a political junkie’s dream.

Democratic candidate John Edwards will be in town tomorrow, speaking at the Carpenter’s Hall in St. Paul at 7 p.m. Rumors abound that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will make at least one visit each to the state to rally support. Barack Obama’s campaign just sent out a press release stating that Obama will be in town on Saturday, Feb. 2 to campaign.  Republican John McCain’s website does not list events beyond the end of January, and Mitt Romney’s site only shows primary and caucus dates right now.

What will Feb. 5 look like in Minnesota as a result? If the early states are any indication, turnout to DFL caucuses should be a bit higher than that at the Republicans’. A competitive race for the Senate endorsement means Democrats across the state have a reason to show up to caucus, and especially in the 3rd District, a competitive House race adds to that fervor. In the past, high-turnout DFL caucuses have been met with a good deal of derision at the lack of organization and long-term capacity-building; DFL officials have said numerous times they are actively preparing for a big day.

With approximately 80 percent of precincts reporting, Romney had won 53 percent of a Republican straw ballot.  Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, was in second place with 13 percent of the vote, just 21 votes ahead of Arizona Sen. John McCain.  Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee were in a virtual tie for fourth with 8 percent of the vote, while former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City trailed badly with just 4 percent of the vote.

The Democratic caucuses were much closer.  With about 90 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton had won 51 percent of delegates to Nevada’s state convention, with Obama close behind with 45 percent.  Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was a distant third with 4 percent of the vote, while Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, was in fifth place, trailing uncommitted delegates, with less than 1 percent of the vote.The wins in Nevada were important to both Clinton and Romney, both of whom are looking for momentum going forward.  Romney needed the win in the delegate-rich Nevada caucuses to offset a near-certain loss in today’s South Carolina primary.  With the win, Romney appears likely to stretch his overall lead in delegates. In a statement, Romney said, “Whether it is reforming health care, making America energy independent or securing the border, the American people have been promised much and are now ready for change.”

Clinton, meanwhile, wins her second consecutive contest, and prevents Obama from building up steam going into next week’s South Carolina primary, where Obama holds a significant lead, according to polling.  In a statement, the Clinton campaign called the victory “a huge victory by overcoming institutional hurdles and one of the worst negative ads in recent memory.”  Clinton had decried Spanish-language ads run by allies of Obama, which called Clinton “shameless.”

The results in Nevada were a crushing blow to the faltering campaign of John Edwards, who has yet to finish higher than second in a primary or caucus.  Edwards had been rising in the polls in the last week, but ultimately faded, and will receive minimal support.  He will go into South Carolina desperately needing a win before the Super Duper Tuesday primaries and caucuses on Feb. 5.