John Edwards FESSES UP

By: ub40fan
Published On: 8/8/2008 3:30:34 PM

There is nothing very positive to say about this .... in fact I'm rather speechless and a bit depressed. All one needs to do is check out this report, scooped by Matt Drudge from ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/...

But here we have an ICON in the Democratic Party with a "Heroic" wife and charming family ......who is caught in a profound lie by of all news sources .... the National Enquirer!!
If anyone wonders why people have become cynical of politicians and contemptuous of Democratic political figures in general ... look no further then the bright attractive men who have tended to lead the party over my life time.

Has this always gone on? Or does it just begin with the Kennedy clan? Should I try to recount all the scandals? Does it really matter at all? It's a personal thing isn't it? Temptation is well covered in the Bible and in Madison Avenue advertising ... let alone Playboy (another ICON in my lifetime).

But here we have John Edwards confessing to an affair ... and contrast that to his courageous wife, who has shown nothing but GRACE in living. But then what do you all think? .... Or is it just too depressing?

Comments



Very unpleasant (Susan Mariner - 8/8/2008 9:43:05 PM)
There is a long history of powerful men being unfaithful to their wives.  It certainly predates you and me.  

I take issue with your linking this to Democratic political figures in general.  Clinton's behavior was certainly the focus of a huge amount of public attention, but there is no reason to believe that Jimmy Carter has ever been anything but faithful to Rosalyn.  There is no reason whatsoever to believe that Senator Obama is anything but completely in love with and faithful to Michelle or that there is anything in his character that would change that.  Senator Kerry was subjected to the most extreme forms of character assassination efforts, but they didn't even try to paint him as a philanderer.  And what about Al Gore?  I could go on, but the point is that a few high profile cases does not a Party define.

I'm constistently puzzled over why Republican Party leaders such as Bob Dole, John McCain, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Guiliani, and so many other Republican Party leaders get a virtual free pass with their well documented affairs while Democrats seem to be crucified for theirs.

From an article titled "High Infidelity" in the Washington Monthy:

Sen. John McCain (affair, divorce), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (affair, divorce, affair, divorce), and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (divorce, affair, nasty divorce). Together, they form the most maritally challenged crop of presidential hopefuls in American political history.

Worth a read -- http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...
 



Only human? ..... (ub40fan - 8/9/2008 8:15:42 AM)
Linkage to the Democrats comes quickly and easily to mind in this case .... because of the Presidential context. While both Newt and McCain have Presidential aspirations and National Enquirer level womanizing histories .... It's the Kennedys (all three), Gary Hart and Clinton which leaps to my mind when I see this John Edwards debacle.

Yes relationships wax and wane .... or grow stronger with time. It's not that a person might have other partners over a life time. It's all about the context.

The guy was running for President!!!  And with the arrogance of Gary Hart he has an affair in the middle of it. If that's his understanding of lessons learned from History ... then I suppose as Commander in Chief he'd be fully capable of creating his own special IRAQ. But that's just postulation on his judgement ($400 dollar hairdos was enough).

What is really depressing about this is his wife's situation. By way of example a close neighbor of ours is currently battling breast cancer. A very good prognosis I'm happy to say but the battle is engaged which leads to Chemo-therapy. And with chemo  comes Hair loss ... a very personal thing - very defining. It calls attention to ones' plight. Now my neighbor's husband's response to this .... in solidarity to his wife of 25 plus years is to SHAVE his head. I have to admire that!

But what if an affair was exposed during this battle with cancer .... what effect would that have on my friend - I shudder to think. About the only thing worse would be along the lines of Newt Gringrich ..... that is serving divorce papers while your wife is getting chemo-treatments.

So there you go .... John Edwards is some form of salamander ... because he's "only human".



Exactly. (spotter - 8/9/2008 10:33:48 AM)
  This really hits home for me.  My sister lives near the Edwards and went to the same church in the past.  She worked on his Senate campaign.  She has the same kind of stage 4 cancer as Elizabeth, although more advanced.  I cannot imagine her husband, who is every bit as good-looking as John Edwards, doing such a thing.  In the unlikely event that he did, I'm sure he'd have the good sense not to run for public office at the same time, basically inviting exposure.

 This is not a private matter, not least because campaign funds were involved.  It is stupid risk-taking and me-first narcissism as well as a betrayal of his wife, his kids, his community, his party, and the citizens who trusted him to rescue us from the Bush fiasco.

 Spare us the Bill Clinton lip-quivering routine, John.  Just go away, so that we can find more ethical people to take up the challenge.