I made this argument in a speculative way last week, but Chris Bowers comes with the numbers showing that John Edwards' continuing presence in the campaign helps Barack Obama. This is evidence, I think, that the much-promised "Anti-Hillary" vote never really existed. Democratic voters just don't dislike Hillary very much. Some may prefer her, some may prefer other candidates, but it was largely a press corps invention that the primary would be dominated by one faction of pro-Hillary Democrats battling it out with another faction of anti-Hillary Democrats. Instead, you had various candidates appealing to the potential voters for their support, and voters picking their favorite among the options. Hillary Clinton just isn't as big of a deal as the press makes her out to be.
