What's your opinion of the different presidential candidates' spouses? Does your opinion of Bill Clinton (as potential First Gentleman), Elizabeth Edwards, Michelle Obama or Ann Romney factor into how your feel about their running spouses at all?

Most of us would like to think we make our voting choices based only on the issues, but we're probably lying to ourselves. If I understand what's being said in the book The Political Brain by Drew Westin about how humans, both male and female, vote , then it's possible that only a select few cast their final vote based on issues alone. Westin suggests that most people vote according to gut instinct. And this thought brings me to what I'm wondering at the moment: How many votes can the right spouse win a candidate? If a candidate's spouse rubs us the wrong way, will we be more likely to think less of the candidate?

Maria Shriver, California's first lady, considers candidates' spouses to play a critical role in campaigns and to face a unique group of challenges while supporting their spouses. Consequently she invited the current batch of presidential candidates' spouses over to chat earlier this year:

California first lady Maria Shriver is all too familiar with the often terrifying high-wire act that comes with being a political spouse. "Whether you like it or not, you're out there," Shriver, an author, former journalist, Kennedy family member, mother of four and wife of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said in an interview last week. "Your family is out there. Your kids are out there." Shriver has seen a similar focus during the current presidential campaign on the high-profile spouses of the male candidates. (Shriver at SF Gate)

In addition, Time ran a brief piece a while back called The Real Running Mates, which focused on spouses. So, candidates' high-profile wives or husbands are getting buckets of attention. Is it any wonder that I speculate about how one spouse may be wind beneath a candidate's wings while another is a boulder around the neck?

Is Bill Clinton a boulder around Hillary's neck or the wind beneath the wings?
Actually, it was an opinion piece in the November 19 issue of Time Magazine that started me down this path. If you look at page 51, you'll see the following, bold, pull-out text at the bottom of the first column, referring to Hillary Clinton:

Her marriage is a chief count against her. Supporters see a messy union that Hillary has valianty preserved under extreme provocation; conservatives see a corrupt bargain. ("The World of Hillary Hatred," Time, November 19)

To be fair, while the graphics promote that text, the writer Rich Lowry modified the word "count" with the word "conservative." He says her marriage is a "chief conservative count against her."

Hillary's on the cover of the issue with the heading "What Hillary believes and why she thinks she'll win," and in the cover piece itself it says the following about her spouse, former U.S. President Bill Clinton:

Hillary Clinton's husband is a jmixed blessing. On the one hand, he draws a lot of attention. On the other, he draws a lot of attention.

It certainly seems that he's no albatross when it comes to Hillary bringing in the bucks.

Hillary may believe she can win, but CityMama hopes she doesn't. It's clear who CityMama supports in her post "Momocrats, are you one?" She invites you to join her at Momocrats if you support John Edwards. I mention this CityMama post because when she speaks of her support of John Edwards it seems she's been moved more by what his Elizabeth Edwards, his wife, said than by John Edwards himself.

Yes, CityMama goes on to say she supports John Edwards based on the issues, and giving support based on the issues is what Elizabeth Edwards asked people to do, to support not the person but the policies; however, it still seems Elizabeth's words tipped CityMama's final decision. Ms. Edwards' words consistently draw attention as well as more support for her candidate spouse.

The spotlight's been on presidential hopeful Barack Obama's wife, Michelle Obama, as well. In CarmenVanKerckhove's May 24 post on Ms. Obama, she said she's "riveted by the media coverage of ... Michelle Obama. Race, gender, and feminism are intersecting in fascinating ways." The title of that post is "Michelle Obama, feminism and the strong black woman" and discusses criticism of Ms. Obama.

I could go on and talk about how Mitt Romney's wife,
Ann Romney is viewed as an asset or speculate about how Rudy Giuliani's messy divorce may hurt him in some sectors, but who has the time for that?

Are you thinking about the candidates' spouses at all or are you that rare political bird who votes on the issues only? Wait, maybe you're one who believes the wrong spouse can be the issue. What's your take?