Edwards lied about the affair when he was a presidential candidate. Now he is considered to be on Obama’s short list for VP ot AG. He has mislead reporters in Houston and New Orleans who asked him about it in the days following the incident. This is a valid story that speaks directly to Edwards’ character, honesty and judgement.

The LA Times editor instructing the paper’s bloggers to not discuss it is instructive of an even larger story-the attempt of the msm to keep the story under wraps.

gary fouse
fousesquawk

In general though, yes, affairs don’t really bug me. Hell, I expect them. Throughout history, politicians have had affairs. Scummy, yes, disgusting, completely, and I don’t really expect that to change now. We are in a society that loves reading dirt, and news organizations spend more time digging up adulterous dirt on politicians than they do exploring issues of racqueteering, fraud, white collar crime etc etc etc. All of which I consider more important.

Security Guard Confirms Late-Night Encounter Between Former Sen. John Edwards, Tabloid Reporters In Beverly Hills Hotel

A hotel security guard told FOXNews.com he intervened this week between a man he identified as former Sen. John Edwards and tabloid reporters who chased down the former presidential hopeful after what they’re calling a rendezvous with his mistress and love child.

I guess we have confirmation people!!

LINK

In general though, if a politicians personal indiscretions are 1)legal are 2)seperate from their public office, I usually try not to care. Outside of the job, they have the right to screw up their own lives as long as they don’t screw up on government time.

And this is why we have the elected officials we have. Thanks Alchemist folks like yourself who continue to vote for these fools because “they are doing a good job” are the reason we have a government full of power hungry idiots. Also using this logic, then what is your problem with Craig??? He was in Minnesota when he did what he did, wasn’t on official time. Yeah yeah yeah “his hypocrisy”, according to you we should expect this kind of thing from our politicans. I agree with Sister, your logic on this is all over the board, and it is the logic of someone who has surrendered to anothers will, and will do anything to defend it.

On a more serious note. I’m quite disappointed in those of us who have bought into the “it’s just sex” mentality, so it really doesn’t matter as long as there’s no real evil -like hypocrisy.

Absolutely Don!! Clinton did wonderful things, if you were China or North Korea. For the country he was actually elected to represent, all he did was give us was scandal after scandal.

Also, this isn’t about the pretty boy as much as it is an idictment of the MSM. Just compare how many stories about McCain’s supposed adultry, and how many about this situation. If Johnny really cared about his wife, then he do his very best to stay away from the appearance of evil. Which means he should be by the side of his dying wife at wee hours of the morning. But I guess that kind of devotion is just “too much to ask” from this politician. – Lorica

Should infidelity be considered “normal”. No, it’s still a horrible thing. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense demonize everyone who screws up on this path. Do you have any friends who have ever cheated? I have, and although I was dissapointed in them, the loss of their family became the most painful (and most deserving) wound they had ever faced. In general, I don’t see any reason to add salt.

The Clinton election raised this issue by asking out loud if “Character really mattered” and America laughed at it. It has come home to roost as the (GOP) party who has just dumped the “social conservative” wing applauds a Maverick (disloyalty) man who also dumped on his avowed loved one when he so decided he could getr a better deal and stands ready to dump on America a bit less than the messiah with his pandering to the borders and global warming crowd.

We reap what we sow.

We could, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Every personality profile I’ve ever seen puts those who are likely to run for office as (types of) adrenaline junkies. The same thing that leads them to succeed in the political arena also leads them to much higher rates of alcohol abuse, corruption, white-collar theft & infidelity. For example: It’s well known that the DNC & RNC hold large parties during their presidential conferences… staffed with high class prostitutes. Unfortunately, what politicians say & what they do tends to be miles apart. (That’s not very shocking, really)

I would point out that Edwards tried to use his wife’s cancer as a fundraising gimmick.

That is a completely fair point. And this alone will come back to bite him more than anything else. On that note, he does deserve to be dragged over hot coals.

In general though, if a politicians personal indiscretions are 1)legal are 2)seperate from their public office, I usually try not to care. Outside of the job, they have the right to screw up their own lives as long as they don’t screw up on government time.

For example: If Bush or Cheney were discovered in an affair, I wouldn’t care. They haven’t staked their reputation on ‘morality’ (well, maybe Bush a little in 2000). That’s directly different from, say the Craig story, where he campaigned against homosexuality while dabbling in his own time.

Edwards has built his public persona as one who fights and sacrifices for others less fortunate than he. By itself that’s evidence of staggering hypocrisy, coming from a rich trial lawyer living as he does. It’s of the same nature as Al Gore’s stern nanny lectures about the failings of we little people, which he delivers from his Olympian heights, having ridden an air conditioned SUV from his Gulfstream.

In the first place, any public figure who puts himself on a pedestal and proclaims his superior nature immediately scores major points on suspicion of being a fraud. Like Cary Condit, he has unmasked himself as a reprehensible creep.

And while having previously sued physicians (like the ones trying to save his wife) out of existence so he could live in a 25,000 sq. ft house.

Yup. He’s clearly no hypocrite.

I followed the Craig story, Vitter & Spitzer stories because I saw those as a more direct hypocricy

And:

Edwards, on the other hand, I’m not familiar with being a marriage advocate of any kind, or denigrating infidelity in any way as a politician.

I would point out that Edwards tried to use his wife’s cancer as a fundraising gimmick. That would make allegations of infidelity (if true) very legitimate as an issue. Personally I thought that the pants-down Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton would have cured us of the notion that character does not matter in our political leaders, but it appears that I was wrong.

At any rate – why is the MSM giving Edwards a free ride on this when they published phony allegations about John McCain and Vicki Iseman?

If he cheats on his wife, that’s usually not grounds for him losing his job;

He can if he is an officer in the military. You are expected to hold a specific code of ethics. Why shouldn’t we expect at least that much from our politicians??

This scandal seems pretty ordinary by political standards.

Yep, especially for liberal Dems. – Lorica

This is different than spitzer, who battled brothels and actively skirted the law (and his own position) so that he could hire prostitutes. That’s a violation of his job, and therefore a fire-able offense (if not a prison sentence).

Let me put it this way, let’s say you have a good coworker with a bad marraige. If he cheats on his wife, that’s usually not grounds for him losing his job; assuming he shows up every day, keeps his work together etc. Now, if he’s cheating on his wife on the company dollar… he gets canned immediately.

Should we expect politicians to act better than the rest of “us” (I mean Americans in general… I would never cheat on my wife). I expect less and am still disappointed. This scandal seems pretty ordinary by political standards.