• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, February 8, 2007

The current crop of Democratic presidential candidates have made it clear they intend to harness the Web this election cycle. They've posted videos on YouTube, conducted online chats and taken out ad campaigns on blogs, among other efforts.

Former Senator John Edwards not only announced his candidacy on YouTube, but the campaign last week also hired bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan to promote him. But the irreverent tone that's become de rigeur in the blogosphere rarely meshes with the candidates' own carefully crafted public statements.

Edwards this week saw that firsthand, when conservatives criticized Marcotte and McEwan for posts they made on their personal blogs, Pandagon and Shakespeare's Sister. The two women aroused such ire that Bill Donohue of the Catholic League demanded that Edwards fire them.

Yesterday, rumors swirled that Edwards had in fact ousted both bloggers. Had those rumors proven true, Edwards surely would have faced ridicule by his own party; in fact, some left-wing observers were already accusing him of being "spineless" in the face of conservative criticism.

But this morning, Edwards posted a statement on his own blog indicating that Marcotte and McEwan remain on the payroll. "The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me," he wrote. But, he added: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake."

So, for now, Marcotte and McEwan apparently will remain with the campaign. But whether those two, or any bloggers, can remain effective when they're under instructions to choose their words so as not to guard against offending anyone -- a directive that would hobble many bloggers -- remains to be seen.