JOHN EDWARDS

I have long been an admirer of former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.  I was pleased that he ran for the presidential nomination in 2004 and would have preferred him to John Kerry.  I was also originally leaning to support of him for the 2008 nomination until I sensed that Barack Obama was the right candidate for our time and switched to support of him in early January 2008 after Obama won the Iowa caucuses.  I still had admiration for Edwards and especially for his wife Elizabeth who I have long considered to be a true sweetheart, one of the most admirable political wives in America today.

Therefore, I was truly stunned and dismayed when I learned of Edwards cheating on his wife, then confessing to her, and the two of them agreeing to keep it to themselves and Elizabeth to work very hard for her husband’s nomination in 2008 while in the midst of fighting cancer.  This whole situation makes Elizabeth look like the saint but it also makes John Edwards look like a low life who, as he said himself last weekend, allowed his egocentrism and narcissism to lead him to violate his marriage vows and victimize a woman of such high principle and decency.

I certainly realize that all of us in the human family are imperfect and that we all have urges and fantasies common to human nature.  But thoughts are one thing and actions another.  Therefore, I feel that John Edwards has lost all credibility and cannot possibly be considered for any government position under a President Obama.  Maybe as time passes, and if he chooses to offer himself again for some public office and allow the voters to decide if he deserves another chance, he might redeem himself.  For now, however, he needs to work on his family issues and do whatever he can outside of public office to promote the causes he believes in , especially fighting poverty and promoting universal health care and educational opportunities for those less fortunate.  IF he works at his causes sincerely and without egocentrism or narcissism rearing their ugly heads, he might yet redeem himself and restore the reputation that he had gained over the past ten years.  Certainly, I can say this is a sad moment in his life and in our national life, but the potential for redemption is still there, and I wish him and his wife and family all the best as they recover from this terrible turn of events.

One comment on “JOHN EDWARDS

  1. Michael Brian August 11, 2008 3:14 pm
      Not easy to bounce back from something like this, particularly since there has already existed a fair amount of cynicism towards him. He should be ashamed and should feel fortunate that he has been forgiven. On a separate note, I think it’s sad that some in the Clinton camp are claiming that had the media broken this story during the Iowa caucuses, she would have won Iowa and then had the momentum to carry the nomination. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. It’s unfortunate enough that this story made its way into the public anyway, considering Elizabeth Edwards has terminal cancer, but it should not be a sore point for a failed campaign.

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