Edwards Hires A Blogger. This is a "Scandal?" [UPDATE: Nope]

By: Lowell
Published On: 2/5/2007 9:27:39 AM

According to the Blogger News Network:

Left-wing blogger Amanda Marcotte of the vociferously anti-war web site Pandagon has been named by the John Edwards campaign as their new blogmaster.

[...]

The extent of Ms. Marcotte's responsibilities at the Edwards site, and the nature of the political operations she will be undertaking as a member of the Edwards campaign, have not yet been detailed publicly.

Meanwhile, according to National Journal, Marcotte's hiring represents "The First Blog Scandal Of Campaign 2008."  Why?  According to National Journal's "Beltway Blogroll:"

...her opinion of the infamous rape allegations against lacrosse players at Duke University didn't sit well with some folks. When Marcotte started catching flak for that opinion, she apparently deleted it and started altering other comments at Pandagon.

Huh? This is a "scandal?"  You mean, as opposed to the Bush Administration's conduct on Iraq, Katrina, Valerie Plame, the energy task force, etc., etc., etc?  Sigh...I guess that's just life in the political blogosphere these days.  Ain't it grand? :)

P.S.  In other news, Edwards has hired "Shakespeare's Sister", aka Melissa McEwan, as his Netroots Coordinator.

(UPDATE BY ROB: Oops! Scandal goes poof! NJ's update: "It sounds like the missing post and others from the fall of 2005 were just the result of technology problems at Pandagon." Just another example of a mainstream media outlet being lazy when covering the blogosphere.)

Comments



I like John Edwards (Chris Guy - 2/5/2007 12:27:38 PM)
But the way the anti-war crowd is giving him a free pass is ridiculous. Edwards is very much responsible for this war no matter how you spin. Yeah, he apologized for his vote. AFTER support for the war plummeted in opinion polls. Wow, what conviction.


John Edwards (drmontoya - 2/5/2007 12:57:52 PM)
I don't have to say to much to reiterate my thoughts on John Edwards. I think his Iraq War support is very troubling and I completely agree with your assessment of his conviction.


Hear, hear. (summercat - 2/5/2007 5:51:19 PM)
I also have concerns that JE is uber-hawkish re attacking Iran.  However much he may softpedal on MTP.


What do you want from Edwards? (presidentialman - 2/5/2007 3:52:00 PM)
He's a former Senator, its not like he can take back his vote because he's not in the Senate anymore, unlike Hillary Clinton who is against such a move, citing there's no do overs in life, that and the earth is flat. So Edwards is trying to apologize in other formats. I think the Anti-war movement recognizes, the nuances in Edwards' situation.


I presume you were responding to drmontoya (Lowell - 2/5/2007 4:21:29 PM)
In my opinion, we should not judge Democratic candidates too harshly on their 2003 Iraq votes.  The question is, where are they NOW on this issue?

Just to remind everyone, here are the Dems who voted for the resolution:

  * Max Baucus (D-MT)
  * Evan Bayh (D-IN)
  * Joe Biden (D-DE)
  * John Breaux (D-LA)
  * Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
  * Jean Carnahan (D-MO)
  * Tom Carper (D-DE)
  * Max Cleland (D-GA)
  * Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
  * Tom Daschle (D-SD)
  * Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
  * Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
  * John Edwards (D-NC)
  * Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
  * Tom Harkin (D-IA)
  * Fritz Hollings (D-SC)
  * Tim Johnson(D-SD)
  * John Kerry (D-MA)
  * Herb Kohl (D-WI)
  * Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
  * Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
  * Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
  * Zell Miller (D-GA)
  * Bill Nelson (D-FL)
  * Ben Nelson (D-NE)
  * Harry Reid (D-NV)
  * Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
  * Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
  * Robert Torricelli (D-NJ)

Personally, I'm not ready to write off Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Max Cleland and everyone else on this list because of a vote cast during a period of post-9/11 fear-mongering and systematic misrepresentation of intelligence.  Basically, I blame the Bush Administration and Republican Congress 75% for our current mess in Iraq, the mainstream media 15%, and everyone else 10%.



Edwards needs to do more than apoligize (drmontoya - 2/5/2007 6:18:17 PM)
In an op-ed piece and when he's asked. He rarely talks about Iraq and not just his voting for the IWR but his co-sponsorship that gave Bush the authority to go to war.

Now, I am willing to support him should he win the nomination but I will always be uncomfortable and upset of his actions he took and in some respect failed to take in 2002.