I was really offended by the representative quote in this article - offered as anecdotal evidence of American women's voting preferences. To paraphrase, the quote was something like "I don't support the war in Iraq, i'm against Bush's general policies, and i don't trust him. But that Kerry wife was such a bitch! So I'm voting against all my convictions and treating the election like a reality show instead."

I beg you, Slate, to please give no further coverage to the mind of the voter and talk about issues. This article is part of the problem. Perhaps if there were much more coverage on the POLITICAL OPINIONS AND VOTING RECORDS OF THE CANDIDATES and less coverage of "the voting race" narrative, there would but less people voting like the woman quoted in the article.

Anyone who thinks a candidates spouse doesnt matter is delusional. One can always gain some insight into another persons character by how he/she treats and is treated by his/her family. Theresa Kerry's actions led me to believe she treated her husband like a doormat, and he took it because she had the money. Not someone I want making decisions for me. I also consider Hillary a doormat, the reason why I wont vote for her. I believe a president needs to be strong. Someone who cant or wont stand up for themselves will never stand up for me. Similarly, a spouse who cant be trusted by their family, someone who cheats on their spouse for example, will certainly not care about my issues.

And, cant have it both ways. If I cant respect Hillary for staying with Bill, I cant respect Rudy for cheating on his wife.

You have no idea--zero--of how Kerry's wife treats him. You have no idea of the backstory that goes into every marital event. You think because of reading some garbage like Slate is doing here you're qualified to make accurate judgements about someone's marriage? Are you serious?

It seemed to me that when Guliani was dumping his wife to take up with his mistress, it reflected badly on his judgment and character. Those were public actions, not the private moments of a marriage; they mattered. But I'm not even remotely interested in some idle speculation about the nature of his relationship he left, or the one he's in. It's his business and I could nnever get enough information to judge it. Now would I want to--it's creepy and voyeuristic