Is Jeri a Trophy Wife?

Robert Novak has a column talking about the "controversy" regarding Jeri and her role in FDT's campaign. Of course we started a couple of weeks ago with Juan Williams calling Jeri a trophy wife on Fox News. That generated a lot of press. Then with the shakeups in the Thompson campaign last week it had been alleged that Jeri was behind the "firings".

Novak talks about Fred's handling of the situation at his Washington fund raiser (introducing "my campaign manager -- oh, I mean my wife.") as well as showing that Jeri is not a trophy wife and that she is a capable and experienced political operative. His conclusion is:

The spectacle of Thompson's Republican adversaries demeaning his wife in conversations with journalists suggests how seriously they regard his prospective candidacy. He starts his campaign in the top tier of candidates and is already the candidate of the South and the favorite of social conservatives. His test is how he will do after Labor Day when his candidacy's phantom stage is over. Jeri Thompson will be at his side as an asset, not a liability.