Sunday, August 10, 2008

Say it Ain't so, John

Just once, I'd like to hear a politician say, "Yes, I slept with that woman. Thanks to you guys, the wife found out, and now both of them have cut me off. I'm sorry I let everyone down." I swear, he'd get my vote, regardless of party.
I was an early Edwards supporter, and was absolutely stunned when he finally admitted to an affair last Friday. I always liked Edwards, from the time I first heard his Two America's speech. In one of the few examples of fighting back against the rant-wing smear machine during the 2004 election, when the Republicans trotted out the "trial lawyer" argument, Edwards countered by bringing out actual cases he had argued; innocent victim vs. large corporation, and that line of attack stopped.
John, why were you thinking with your dick? Your wife already knew, and you were working it out with her. Just as there were cheers on the floor of the NYSE when Eliot Spitzer fell, the rant-wing bloggers are going nuts. This "proves" the liberal bias of the mainstream media. Never mind the media is giving McCain a pass on this very subject, when his infidelities were on a scale comparable to Edwards for sleaze, but that's beside the point.
The news media were getting close last year, maybe that explains why you dropped out of the primary the week before Super Tuesday. Why couldn't you have made your announcement then. By all accounts, your wife had already found out, and you were working it out. It may have saved your political career. You would have lost the nomination, but saved your integrity; paid the child support from your own pockets instead of campaign funds (which I am sure will be the next thing exposed in the investigation) and who knows, in a few years, made a comeback.
In retrospect, I'm glad you did drop out when you did. It would have been a Republican wet dream to have this news come out after you became the party's nominee. I still think they were only sitting on the story until after you made a keynote speech at the Democratic convention. Thank God the National Enquirer forced your hand. This even gave you the opportunity to utilize an old Bush/Rove trick: announce the bad news on a Friday.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree 99%. The small problem with your logic is: everyone thinks they can get away with IT and we have an innate conscience that won't let us admit our faults. So, while a noble idea to admit IT upfront, before getting caught, it'll never happen.

RedWing said...

I was really upset with this because John had actually discussed running for President AFTER this happened WITH his wife! I give him props on confronting her about it...but do you think he would have had he not been running for president? It's disgusting and shameful and could very well cost us a presidency in Barack Obama. How sad that would be, indeed. Way to go John Edwards.

Grey Fedora said...

If Obama loses the election, I don't think this will be a major contributing cause. John Edwards will be forgotten about in a couple weeks, except by the most rabid rant-wingnuts.

Edwards borrowed a trick right out of the Bush/Rove playbook and announced late on a Friday night. It didn't hurt that the Olympics and the Russian invasion of Georgia were dominating the news cycle at the time.
The national Enquirer forced his hand, to get it all out of the way before the DNC. We owe them the same debt we owe the neo-conmen for blocking the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

Grey Fedora said...

"I was really upset with this because John had actually discussed running for President AFTER this happened WITH his wife!"

Perhaps the Edwards' thought they could keep this a private matter, although I don't know what gave them that idea.
There are too many loose ends when you are having an affair. I know if I stepped out, my wife would find out. And I wouldn't have National Enquirer reporters following me around.

But what would infuriate me most if I were Elizabeth Edwards, is that he was sneaking into her hotel room at 2 AM after the affair was "over." Any contact at all withe her should have been through a lawyer.

I also think that both John Edwards and Eliot Spitzer cultivated enemies in high places. Your personal life must be totally above reproach, because these people are vindicitive. I would have loved to see John Edwards as Attorney General.