So Hillary teared up. If you watch the video, you can see, sort of, the tears welling up. Call it the honey shot.

Whereupon, if an ABC blog is to be believed, John Edwards shot himself in a nether region this way:

Edwards, speaking at a press availability in Laconia, New Hampshire, offered little sympathy and pounced on the opportunity to bring into question Clinton’s ability to endure the stresses of the presidency. Edwards responded, “I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are tough business, but being president of the United States is also tough business.”

Now, this is the kind of response that gives my entire sex a bad name--the "resolve" to rough up the opposition any old way. Where is Edwards' regional charm all of a sudden? I do wonder what it is the reporters heard that led them to paraphrase his first response as "offering little sympathy"--and would be interested to know if any readers see a fuller quote--but in any event, I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is a wise human being, and yes, wise human beings have been known to tear up.

P. S. Tuesday AM: I'm just getting to yesterday's comments. What exactly did Edwards say? CNN has a slightly fuller version:

John Edwards told reporters he was unaware of Clinton's emotional reaction and would not respond to it, but added, according to CNN's Dugald McDonnell: "I think what we need in a commander in chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are a tough business, but being President of the United States is also a very tough business. And the President of the United States is faced with very, very difficult challenges every single day, difficult judgments every single day."

Yeah, and one of those "difficult judgments" is whether to vent a stupid, sexist insult and imply that an emotional loss of composure is at odds with "strength and resolve." Edwards flunked. I stand by my aspersion.

And don't miss Katha Pollitt's interview with Pat Schroeder on the flagrant double standard re tears.