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Thurs P.S.: On Edwards
posted at 2008-08-08 01:18 | Last modified 2008-08-08 02:23
What you said
Okay, readers, I get the message: Some of you don’t think I or anyone else ought to be talking about the Enquirer allegations re John Edwards and his purported love interest, Rielle Hunter. In the interest of efficiency, I’ll reply to several of you here.
From one reader:
"He's already said the baby isn't his. Whether he's lying or not - it's really not our business. He is, as far as I know, a private citizen at this point, and well - last time I checked, he didn't volunteer to go on the Jerry Springer show.
Sorry, folks, but I can't classify John Edwards as a “private citizen.” He's one of his party's leading lights, especially here in NC: a former US Senator, the 2004 Dem VP nominee, a 2008 presidential candidate, a 2008 VP possibility (albeit slimmer by the day), a likely pick for a cabinet position, and a likely primetime speaker at the Dems’ Denver convention. Joe Sixpack he ain’t, whether he’s holding elected office or not. He’s a household name – a political celebrity, if you like, for want of a better term.
In case you’ve forgotten, Edwards himself told 60 Minutes last year he welcomed scrutiny of his personal life.
Nicely put.
From another reader:
First, thank you, but the claims aren’t entirely unsubstantiated.
Second, while the Enquirer’s batting average is abysmal, it isn’t zero. Remember Rush Limbaugh’s drug addiction? Jesse Jackson’s illegitimate child? OJ’s Bruno Magli shoes? All three were NE scoops. Every so often, they get it right. And there are too many details in this one to write it off; it bears watching.
Third, even though some readers think it’s crap, others don’t. No preponderance of evidence will convince the former, and no lack of it will deter the latter. Somewhere in between, there’s a lot of everyday people who just want to know what happened. Many of those people gave Edwards their money and time and votes. So far, he hasn’t seen fit to honor their support with an explanation of actions that look, let’s face it, pretty darned iffy.
In the meantime, Edwards' refusal to respond to “tabloid trash” has proven to be an abject failure as far as keeping said trash out of the headlines. A clear and direct denial would go a long way toward cutting the legs out from under this story. Edwards, as a smart guy and a consummate politician, knows that. But he isn’t saying anything.
And then there's the allegation, albeit currently unsubstantiated, that the tryst may have involved campaign funds and an elaborate cover-up. Again, there's no evidence at this point that it's true, but it bears watching, as it would for any politician.
So tell me again why this isn’t a story. I’m listening.
