No, not that monster, though that would be a good Halloween costume later this week!

I’m talking about the political monster.

Michelle Pfeiffer found out what it was like being married to the mob, but I don’t envy the women who are hoping that their husbands make it to the White House in January 2009.

What it would be like to be married to the political monster, having to deal with the day in and day out demands of being “on” every moment until November 4, 2008?

We get to see glimpses of their lives – campaigning with their husbands, meeting up with celebrities. (I’m not even going to count former President Bill Clinton in this discussion because he’s in a category all to himself in terms of political spouses.)

Their routines, their children, their issues — they are all out there for us to scrutinize and consider while we ponder their husbands’ views on the war in Iraq, poverty in America and health care, among a whole host of other political issues.

But in the end, are political spouses really important when we are casting our vote? When you step into that voting booth — or behind the Diebold computer — to cast your ballot, are you really thinking about the women who are married to their own version of the mob?

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Elizabeth Edwards, but in the end I won’t be casting my vote because of the way the candidates’ wives have conducted their family lives. I am interested to hear their stories because, as a woman, I just love to hear how other women manage the challenges they face.

But I do wonder how they get up every morning and face the cameras and the reporters. Do they ask themselves, “How did I get here?”

And do they wonder whether it’s too late to turn back?