Elizabeth Edwards to the Rescue

Once again, Elizabeth Edwards does the dirty work for her husband John.

This time she wasn't on the attack. She didn't call Hillary a man or anything like that.

This time she sort of, somewhat, kind of gave a gentle, little slap on the wrist to MoveOn.org for its "General Betray Us" ad, breaking the deafening silence from the Democrats.

Ben Smith has the quote:

“Someone who’s spent their life in the military doesn’t deserve ‘General Betray Us,’” said Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

It's Elizabeth to the rescue.

So, John's hands remain clean. He didn't have to say anything to irk MoveOn; but Elizabeth was able to say that Gen. Petraeus didn't deserve to be mocked by being called "General Betray Us."

That's not exactly a smackdown slap at MoveOn. She didn't say the content of the ad was inappropriate. She didn't comment on that at all. She just said the name-calling was wrong.

Elizabeth almost had to say what she did, given how she's railed against Ann Coulter for making personal attacks.

Remember back in June the planned ambush when Elizabeth called in to Chris Matthews' show to confront Coulter when she was appearing as guest on a Hardball?

Transcript excerpts:

MATTHEWS: You know who is on the line? Somebody to respond to what you said about Edwards yesterday morning. Elizabeth Edwards. She wanted to call in today. We said she could. Elizabeth Edwards, go on the line. You‘re on the line with Ann Coulter.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: Hello, Chris.

MATTHEWS: Do you want to say something directly to the person who is with me?

EDWARDS: I‘m calling—you know, in the South, we—when someone does something that displeases us, we want to ask them politely to stop doing it.

I would like to ask Ann Coulter to—if she wants to debate on issues, on positions, we certainly disagree with nearly everything she said on your show today. But—but it is quite another matter to—for these personal attacks.

That‘s—the things that she has said over the years, not just about John, but about other candidates, is—lowers our—our political dialogue precisely at the time that we need to raise it.

So, I—I want to use the opportunity, which I don‘t get much, because Ann and I don‘t hang out with the same people—to ask...

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: ... have enough money.

EDWARDS: .... her politely to stop the personal attacks.

COULTER: OK. So, I made a joke, let‘s see, six months ago. And, as you point out, they have been raising money off of it for six months, since then.

MATTHEWS: But this is yesterday morning, what you said about him.

COULTER: I didn‘t say anything about him, actually, either time.

EDWARDS: Ann knows—you know that‘s not true. And, what‘s more, this has been going on for some time.

COULTER: And I don‘t mind you trying to raise money. I mean, it‘s better this than giving $50,000 speeches to the poor...

EDWARDS: I‘m asking you—I‘m asking you politely...

COULTER: ... just to use my name on the Web pages. But, as for a debate with me, yes, sure.

EDWARDS: I‘m asking you politely...

COULTER: Yes, we will have a debate.

EDWARDS: ... to stop—to stop personal attacks.

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: How about you stop raising money on your Web page, then?

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: No, you don‘t have to, because I don‘t mind.

(CROSSTALK)

EDWARDS: It did not start with that. You had a column a number of years ago...

COULTER: Great. OK.

EDWARDS: ... where you suggested that...

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: The wife of a presidential candidate is calling in, asking me to stop speaking?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Let her finish the point. Let her finish the point.

COULTER: You‘re asking me to stop speaking? Stop writing your columns. Stop writing your books.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Ann, please.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTER: OK.

EDWARDS: You had a column a couple of years ago which—which made fun of the moment of Charlie Dean‘s death, and suggested that my husband had a bumper sticker on the back of his car that said, “Ask me about my dead son.”

COULTER: That‘s now three years ago.

EDWARDS: This is not legitimate political dialogue. It debases political dialogue. It drives people away from the process. We can‘t have a debate about issues if you‘re using this kind of language.

COULTER: Yes, why isn‘t John Edwards making this call?

MATTHEWS: Well, do you want to respond? We will end this conversation.

EDWARDS: I have not talked to John about this call.

COULTER: I think this is just another attempt for...

EDWARDS: I‘m making this call as a mother. I‘m the mother of that boy who died. My children participate. These young people behind you are the age of my children. You‘re asking them to participate in a dialogue that is based on hatefulness and ugliness, instead of on the issues.

And I don‘t—I don‘t think that is serving them or this country very well.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS: Thank you very much, Elizabeth Edwards.

Do you want to—you have all the time in the world to respond to that.

COULTER: I think we heard all we need to hear. The wife of a presidential candidate is asking me to stop speaking.

No.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: No, she said you should stop being so negative to people individually.

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: Right, as opposed to bankrupting doctors by giving a shyster Las Vegas routine in front of juries, based on science...

MATTHEWS: OK.

COULTER: Wait. You said I would have as long as I would have.

MATTHEWS: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

COULTER: And you instantly interrupt me.

MATTHEWS: Go ahead. Go ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTER: As I was saying, doing these psychic routines in front of illiterate juries to bankrupt doctors, who now can‘t deliver babies, and to charge a poverty group $50,000 for a speech. Don‘t talk to me about how to use language.

MATTHEWS: Elizabeth.

EDWARDS: ... language of hate. And I am going to ask you again to politely stop using personal attacks as part of your dialogue.

COULTER: OK, I will stop writing books.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: Why do you talk about...

(CROSSTALK)

EDWARDS: If you can‘t write them without them, then that is fine.

Yes, Elizabeth can hardly condone "General Betray Us."

And I doubt that the MoveOn mob will attack the untouchable Mrs. Edwards.

It's important to note that she didn't really criticize MoveOn for the ad. She worded her comment very carefully. She only said Gen. Petraeus didn't deserve to be called a name. She didn't say that the ad was an ugly attack on an honorable man's character.

Will Democrat candidates be asked to comment on Elizabeth Edwards' remarks?

I'd be surprised.

The lib media aren't about to make the Dems' smearing of an American hero an issue.

This is just another example of the Edwards campaign using not so secret weapon Elizabeth to say something that John can benefit from without being held personally accountable, not by the other candidates and not be the fringe Left kooks who hold them all hostage.