Barack Obama Thinks John Edwards is 'Kind of Cute'

At least he didn't call him gay.  Or worse drop the 'f' bomb.  Barack Obama, one of the leading candidates for president from the Democratic side of the aisle has basically dubbed one of his rivals a 'cute.'  Shockingly, he wasn't speaking of former First lady and frontrunner Hillary Clinton.  According to a report from 'The Hill' Barack saved his praise for the man dubbed the 'Breck Girl' by liberal New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd.

Scenes like this from the campaign trail in '04 aren't helping John Edwards

Elana Schor reports from the paper:  Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) slipped in a compliment — of sorts — about a fellow 2008 hopeful during his appearances on the Iowa stump last weekend.  “I want to wait and hear what John Edwards has to say, he’s kind of good-looking,” Obama envisioned Iowa caucus-goers from the small town of Clinton telling themselves. During an appearance in West Burlington, Iowa, the phrase appeared again, this time with Edwards as “kind of cute.”

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Oh the humanity.  Edwards recently made headlines by pulling out of a debate in Nevada because it was co-hosted by Fox News.  Besides the Ann Coulter 'f' bomb, Edwards is fighting a perception that he is 'soft.'  Was this an attempt by Obama to marginalize Edwards even further?

The Hill notes that at least one Edwards supporter was nonplussed by the reference, coming as Obama stresses rising above petty politics and chafes at press attention to his own good looks. “Substance is what makes Edwards stand out from the pack,” the supporter said. “Amid the hype, he’s proven time and again to be the candidate with substantive ideas, and that’s what matters most to caucus-goers.”

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Right now - Edwards is in a distant third in most polling.  He remains far behind Hillary and Obama.