Edwards - Anyone have anything to say?

I thought someone would have started a thread about John Edwards and his confession yesterday about having an affair.

To me it was a perfect example of hypocrisy. This guy has an affair then thinks it's ok to run for president and campaign presenting himself as a model of perfection.

I could care less if he had an affair, it's the hypocrisy that gets to me. Watching him "confess" and "take responsibility" on Nightline last night almost made me sick.

What's to say?  They're all alike.  Eisenhower slept with his female driver and I bet all the rest have fooled around too.  I mean, Reagan left his wife because Nancy was pregnant, way back when - absolutely no bigger hypocrite than he was.  The only one I can't imagine fooling around was Nixon because he was too damn ugly.

edited to add:  Almost forgot Giulianni who tried to move his mistress into the governors mansion while he was still married and his wife and kids were living there. 

I'm sick of politicians who can't keep it zipped. 

Just don't understand what the problem is with these guys. Do they think they are just sooooo irresistable that some random 'mistress' won't rat them out?

What an ass hat.

Wait, was part of his presidential campaign platform the fact that he had never cheated on his wife? If not, how does this make him a hypocrite? Did he publicly call people who have affairs cheating scumbags, or join in the political "lynching" of someone else who had an affair?

Or is that a part of his personal life that should, logically, be considered pretty much irrelevant to his job application, which is basically what a political campaign is?

Don't they all have affairs?  I thought it went with that type of position.  It sure seems like it.  Anyway, it is none of my business what goes on in his bedroom.  It is up to him and his wife what kind of relationship they want to have.

I'm sick of the media acting like this is something we care about and that it should matter.   I'd prefer not to hear about it, a personal life is a personal life.  I do feel bad for his (dying) wife though.

Good point trustwoman. I guess I never liked him anyway and I like him even less now, so I'm letting my personal dislike interfere with my more rational side.

Yes, I can see why he wouldn't be a hypocrite. But honestly, to me, he looks so upright, moral, so very "white bread" my mind made the leap :)

figurethefat, as you said " But honestly, to me, he looks so upright, moral, so very "white bread" my mind made the leap :)" *That's the Carolina's for you, sadly.  All upright, just, and morally and ethically corrput!

Well, I think it's baby mama drama ...

... who da baby daddy ???  On the next Maury.

Who the baby's mama/daddy.

Hypocrite?  What would you call Bill Clinton, and as Clairelaine put, " Eisenhower slept with his female driver ", the Kennedy's (enough said).  It is crazy.

The saddest of the Edward's story is that his wife stood proudly by his side, as she is dying.  Now, is it possiible he is looking now, for when she departs and she agreed?  It's sick, yet a possibility.    Oh boy!  I wanna know who the baby daddy!

edit 7/10: * to aplologize for the generalization.  It was a generalized statement only.  If Romney, for example, was in the same situation as Edwards, I would have said, well that's Massachusetts for you, sadly.  I apologize fot the frustration and anger that I have caused in such  a generalized statement.

What politicians do in their bedrooms with consenting adults is NONE OF MY BUSINESS.  How terrible for the country and the media to have pulled this out of him-- thats between him and his wife.  Salacious gossip yes but GOSSIP.

Someone's ability to wield power effectively seems to be inherently tied to an inability to wield their sword in the appropriate places.  Is it right?  No.  Is it any of my business so long as my country/state/county/city/district is run well?  No. (and even if its not well run its not my business unless there was a direct effect on government).

Maybe George Bush should have had an affair.  The Good Presidents did.

Maybe naive but cant imagine Carter cheating but thats probaby the only one.  Just imagining had Edwards been tapped as a VP the disaster that have unfolded.

I believed in what Edwards promoted but never believed him to be genuine and was sorry to see him on the Gore ticket.  Cant put my finger on it, the words were always right but hollow.  I wasnt sickened by the interview though - to me, it seems like the most honest Ive seen him, not that I dont find his behavior and betrayal in general repulsive but it was hard to believe that was him because he seemed genuine to me in the interview which shocked me.

I may be going out on a limb here...

I think we have a right to know about stuff like this. Not for gossip purposes, but for character purposes. I believe that if someone is dishonest in one part of their life it's not hard to believe they would be dishonest in other parts too. I think we have a right to know the integrity of our political representatives.

And I hope he burns for it...

I agree Shanfood, it goes to his character. Lying, cheating, scumbags, both men and women, should not hold themselves out to become the leader of the free world or hold any high political office. They are making judgments on behalf of populations daily and I for one, question their judgment skills when they can't tell the basics of right from wrong. I realize John Edwards probably wasn't getting any at home with his wife sick and all, but jeez fella, there are WAYS!

I am not saying that Edwards wasnt wrong to cheat. 

I am saying that 1) its not for me to know, 2) its not for me to judge, and 3) that it really doesnt make a difference in his character for office.

If we look at past president and history, the failure to keep marital fidelity is the LEAST predictive of a poor economy, trust in the president, and foreign good will.

Original Post by drea99:

I am not saying that Edwards wasnt wrong to cheat. 

I am saying that 1) its not for me to know, 2) its not for me to judge, and 3) that it really doesnt make a difference in his character for office.

I agree - I think poor moral judgement in the bedroom does not automatically mean poor moral judgement on a healthcare bill (for example). 

Plus, for all we know he and his wife could have decided to have an open relationship and the woman is being spiteful after it ended.  Then maybe he is saying he had an affair to protect the reputation of his wife.  Probably not, BUT it could happen...   The point is - we do not know all the details of what happened and no one is perfect enough to judge others (IMO).

I think in this day and age its gonna be very hard to find anyone that grew up in the 60's and 70's that hasn't done something some folks might see as immoral.  If my private life prior to 1984 was known to my parents, kids or even husband I'd be mortified.  We do stupid things sometimes when we are young and to think stupid mistakes can come back to haunt us to our graves would make it very hard to continue to want to live - vs learning from the mistakes and trying to improve our lives and those lives around us.   Even if we did something bad as an adult and probably knew better- if we can take that and make it for the better then its no one's concern.  Its those who don't learn and try to do better that we have to worry about. 

Heck I just learned a year ago that my grandmother had a child out of wedlock raised it till he was 5 then her parents made her put it up for adoption and moved to a new town so she could find a man to marry - my mom is now trying to locate this person who knows if they are still alive- but my mom was told this family secret by an aunt only after all other family members of my grandfather's had died so they would never know this. 

I don't know but I think we all have done something we are not happy about and would rather not have the entire world know about. so like the old saying people in glass houses shouldn't throw stone

yep.  and if we all judge each other based on our worst decisions, we'll never find anyone fit to lead (or to hire, or to work for, or to be friends with, or to have sex with...).

#15: I agree.  People are people and people do things for whatever reason, and so what?  It is thier own private life.   However, if you are a public figure, demading respect from the public, that person has no private life; that person should not have been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Its sad I wanted him to be president even more than Obama or Kerry in 04. I really liked the platform that Edwards was on. I dont know why he ran for president this time around knowing that he had some major skeletons...which everyone has but he could of been honest. I wont get on here acting holier than thou. I just pray for him and his family, especially Elizabeth. His populist ideas really touched my heart when I was in college. I feel horrible for Elizabeth since she is terminally ill. Its soooo sad

Original Post by playergirl:

#15: I agree. People are people and people do things for whatever reason, and so what? It is thier own private life. However, if you are a public figure, demading respect from the public, that person has no private life; that person should not have been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Yes they have a right to a private life --  the fact that they are now a public figure doesn't make them omniscient. 

I don't know when this affair happened and really don't care. 

I guess I could never run for public office for fear something I did in my 20's is going to come back and bite me in the butt because someone decided to tell the world I did drugs, slept with so and so and did this and that and the other - basically doing what 98% of the people my age were doing way back then too.

I find it interesting that the press back in Johnson's and Kennedy's day looked the other way at their affairs they had in the white house.

I just saw on the news the other day people are now getting up in Sandra Day O'Connors business because she is allowing her alzheimer's diseased husband carry on with the affair he is having in the nursing home after all they are still married, but you know what he doesn't know that any more he doesn't know her from Adam and if this other women makes his life have meaning then more power to them and I salute mrs O'Connor for what must be heartbreaking.

What I don't understand is why he decided to confess this to the public NOW. Why he sought out Night Line to tell this story, NOW. Something fishy about this, not sure what, but something funny about this.

it's just a preemptive strike.