Live, from the campaign trail ... an afternoon update as we climb off the Hubris 'N' Handbags tour bus for a quick lunch and back at it.

As everyone can see, things are getting wild up here in the wilds of N.H. Obama is a fast-moving train and it's clear his runaway success is getting to Mrs. Clinton, who nearly broke down at the end of some questioning. We mean, there were TEARS! To get a woman to cry -- a power woman like her -- means things are BAD. We were shocked to see her breakdown -- which we caught only on TV -- because she seems so tough. There's no cryin' in baseball, right? And probably no cryin' in presidential politics a day before a critical election. OY!

We wondered with another journo this morning over coffee what it might be like to be a fly on the wall with Bill and Hill these past few days. Certainly he is frustrated and probably angry that the wheels are coming off a bit. We suspect she's angry, too, if not hurt on some level. We suspect they were not prepared for the strength of her opponent and couldn't have fathomed how his support might have grown so much.

What do we think? Since this is our blog, we will handicap it all: Mrs. Clinton can say she's the real change candidate and Mr. Obama's campaign is not real change, but she could go on til she's blue in the face, even be RIGHT, and still continue to lose ground.

People are attaching to Mr. Obama for a different reason -- he's young, fresh, seemingly more independent and has none of the baggage she has. He's kind of like a black JFK. We know that analogy probably will make eyes roll, but it feels that way here. (And candidly, several of us have mused that we have some concerns for his safety as this goes on. Truly there's been some talk about that in kind of a stage whisper.)

Lots of different types of people like him and it feels like they do over things that have nada to do with big issues. They aren't judging him on the specifics. It's broader. It's the rock star factor. Hard to pinpoint, but totally inflamed. Charisma, appeal, whether perception or reality -- he's got it. Mrs. Clinton is not doing badly here, BTW, it's just she can't seem to overcome his star power. His own star power, which seems mighty significant. Most certainly voters elsewhere are gonna be glued to this horse race. We think Florida is gonna be the crucible here. If she loses there, she's toast.

In other news:

This morning, we attended a house party with Elizabeth Edwards. We came away respecting her a lot and respecting her husband more -- for having married HER. And why hasn't she ever run for election? Whatever happens after this election is over, she should consider running for something because her command of the issues is significant. She looks tired, but also healthier than we would have imagined and we hope this is a good sign for her future health. We have read the stories about how impressive she was when she and John were in law school and we can totally see why. She's super humane, no fuss, looks like a woman whose home you'd like to drop by for coffee. A nice balance between mom and professional woman, VERY accessible. If Hillary Clinton could talk to people with Elizabeth's warmth, she'd probably be doing better. You know Elizabeth ought to debate Hillary. Never happen, but we'd love to see it.

At this rally, the actor James Denton, the hunky plumber from "Desperate Housewives" and film actress Elizabeth Stowe, both spoke on Edwards' behalf. The skinny on most actors and actresses is that they are always smaller and thinner than you might imagine, particularly the male leads. Mr. Denton was cute but very real in jeans and a t-shirt. We caught him snacking on donut holes in the kitchen, downing the dreaded killer carbs while the writer's strike is in full bloom and his show remains up in the air.

He talked about it a bit, and how it was hurting firm personnel who did not earn the massive salaries that actors make.

Miss Stowe talked to voters about her own family's struggle with serious illness when she was growing up. Her dad had MS that progressed quickly and she said having Social Security disability kept her family afloat in some very dire financial times. We chatted with her after the rally and she was gracious. And ya know, not a stitch of makeup, ladies. Nada. If she was wearing concealer, it was not visible. She wore a simple black turtleneck, weathered jeans (tiny) and was standing in her sock feet. She was easy to like, most articulate and said the campaign had been quite open to allowing them to say what they wanted while on the stump. She will stay through the election tomorrow to help get out the vote.

-- Andrea Billups, The Washington Times