When you're John Edwards and you have much less money than your principal opponents, how you choose to spend it is key. Thus, his new 60-second ad, "Heroes," -- part of an apparent almost million dollar buy -- is extremely important to his efforts.

And it's one heck of an ad.

Yes, some will find it maudlin and there are some who may be offended that he invokes his wife's illness as a backdrop to talk about how it has spurred them to fight for those who "have no voice." But they will be in the vast minority of Democratic primary voters. The ad goes to the heart of the Edwards appeal (in more ways than one) by giving him an emotional depth and commitment that have so far been lacking in his two far more cerebral opponents.

Equally important, it's an ad that is as much about America as it is about Edwards. That's what good candidates do -- just as Ronald Reagan once declared "It's morning in America."

Following up on his standout performance in the debate earlier in the week, Edwards is the Democrat who now sounds the most optimistic about the country's future -- despite his personal tragedies and despite the fact that he's often more critical of Hillary than Obama is.

To read Steven Stark's complete "Presidential Tote Board" blog, go to www.thephoenix.com/toteboard/