What About Hillary Clinton's Wife?--UPDATED

Today I'm reading about the wife of an undeclared Republican presidential candidate. Undeclared. But here she is in all her "demanding" glory:

Campaign sources described Jeri Thompson as firm, straightforward and assured of what she wants to do, but unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of campaigning. Many decisions have been held up awaiting her approval, they say, from routine matters such as travel schedules and car manifests to weightier ones including direct-mail efforts, personnel choices and the timing of the campaign kickoff.

One person directly familiar with the campaign said Thompson was the architect of the strategy to portray her husband as the true conservative in the race. The source said Thompson works mostly from the couple's home in McLean, "running the campaign from the kitchen table." She frequently calls aides and demands answers quickly. "Everything for her is at Defcon," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak on behalf of the campaign.

Does anyone believe that Jeri Thompson or any other wife of any candidate including Edwards will influence the President as much as Bill Clinton will as First Spouse?

How long will the media ignore the enormous elephant in the leading Democrat Presidential candidate's living room? Bill Clinton was a former President. He will cause a power shift whenever he's in the room. Bill Clinton is a womanizer and could harm the reputation of the country if he got caught on a booty call. Bill Clinton could interfere in policy, in a way no Presidential spouse since Hillary did, as First Spouse. Bill Clinton attracts the camera like a magnet. It is a valid concern that he would again be the face of America, not Hillary. I suspect that many on the Left hope that this would be the case. This spouse thing is a fantastic way to get him back holding the reins of power. These are significant concerns and we're getting exposés on a potential Republican candidate's wife that picks away at her past?

For that matter, when will we hear about Obama's wife? She's educated. She's feisty...or is she submissive, fawning milquetoast? We don't know. We'll never know if the press continues their studied silence on all things Presidential, Democrat and Spouse.

We're supposed to look at the Democrat Presidential candidates and judge them on their merits. We're supposed to be wowed by the woman. We're supposed to be wowed by the man of color. We're supposed to be wowed by the good hair. This is an unprecedented year for America! Well, this election will still end up with a President and spouse. I consider it racist and sexist that the investigative reporting only gets pointed at the white old males and the young white females who marry them.

The press needs to be fair and balanced and give equal time to the spouses of the Democratic Presidential candidates.

H/T Glenn Reynolds who says:

Plus, Fred Thompson's wife is an attractive blonde! And a lobbyist! Money quote: "A smart, good-looking woman in Washington in her 30s dating a member of Congress doesn't come as a shocker." You think?

UPDATE: Betsy has more to say:

If Jeri Thompson and Judith Giuliani aren't fulfilling that same positive roles for their husbands, perhaps the fault lies not in their media coverage, but in themselves. In the end, I'd like to think that we'll vote for the one whose name is on the ballot and not the spouse. But with Hillary Clinton in the race, that won't be true, will it? There will be those who will vote for her because they still love Bill. And there are those who will not vote for her because of her husband. And lots of people formed their opinion of Hillary when she was First Lady and won't be changing it any time soon. I still think that there is a lot of Clinton fatigue out there. I've talked with some liberal friends who expressed their dread of having four or eight more years of the whole Clinton sordid saga playing out again. Will that stop them from voting her against a Republican? Who knows?