From the "Can't hurt" file…

…another Edwards endorsement...

On Wednesday, long time Secretary of State Doug LaFollette indicated he is supporting John Edwards for president. LaFollette, a strong environmental advocate, is the first cousin, twice removed of Wisconsin's great Senator Robert "Fighting Bob" LaFollette.

There are some individual endorsements with inherent value - the "superdelegates" to the national convention, for instance - and a few with real subsidiary benefits, such as the Shaheen operation in New Hampshire, so essential to Clinton's success there. For an insurgent campaign like Edwards', any resources, however slight, can be significant and a continued stream of endorsements can provide a critical sense of momentum that nourishes the faithful.

I don't know if Doug LaFollette's endorsement carries inherent, subsidiary or simply symbolic value. It may, in fact, carry all three. At the very least, he carries the most legendary name in Wisconsin politics, has won statewide office in his own right and is well connected to a key Democratic constituency.

Can't hurt.