• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Thursday, December 7, 2006 11:46 AM

If the high visibility of Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott makes it seem like he's running for office, it's because the Edelman public-relations firm has been directing a campaign it calls "Candidate Wal-Mart." Led by seasoned political operatives, the goal is to rescue the battered image of the world's largest retailer.

Edelman's bipartisan team feels that image is crucial for drawing customers, smoothing the way for new stores in urban areas and beating back legislation that would raise costs. Michael Deaver, a former chief of staff for President Reagan who is now an Edelman vice chairman, compares the effort to a supporting a candidate's run for the presidency. "It's a win-or-lose campaign," he says.

Edelman orchestrated a 49-state rollout when Wal-Mart decided to sell an array of generic drugs for $4 a prescription and organized a grassroots group called Working Families for Wal-Mart. But it had to scramble when the leader it helped recruit, Andrew Young, made derogatory comments about ethnic shopkeepers and was forced to resign.

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