Can we stop with the moral outrage?

[mudesi]

It is precisely the righteous moral superiority of judgemental Americans that keeps otherwise competent and qualified politicians from running for and winning office. And make no mistake, John Edwards would've made a fantastic president.

I hold no illusions on the fact that had John Edwards won the primary, his prospects of winning the general election would be dead right now. But it shouldn't be this way.

I am disappointed and ashamed at Edwards for putting the country at risk of another 4 years of Republican rule, but the only reason for that is because of the ignorant, holier than thou attitudes of the American people. Anywhere else in the world with the exception of the theocracies this story would have elicited a collective shrug among the voting public.

So spare me the moral outrage at John Edwards' sex life. You're contributing to the stupidity.

[DS1]

1. Totally.

He fucked up, then fucked up again as fuckups typically do, but now it's out, and it's over. Time to focus on important things.

[BlooInBloo]

2. I think it's funny that people care so much about this.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

27. It just bears out what I have long known(and so has the media):

People love to be outraged. People will pay to be outraged.

[fascisthunter]

82. yeeeup

[Redstone]

3. That would indeed be nice. But don't expect it to happen.

I do indeed wish that your post would have the effect you hope it would. Sadly, it won't.

But hey, you tried, and that's all we can ask from anyone, is that they try.

Redstone

[mike_c]

4. agreed, 100 percent....

This is crazy. I don't give a rat's buttocks who Edwards, Obama, Clinton, or McCain sleeps with. Life is WAY too short to get upset over humans having sex with one another. Sheesh.

[dsc]

5. I would have no problem at all, if he didn't say I am unworthy of marriage

once he chose to do that, he put his marriage in play.

[helderheid]

75. I couldn't agree more!

[DutchLiberal]

77. Good point. Did he say "unworthy" or is that your interpretation?

I believe the only candidates who supported full same-sex marriage were Kucinich and Gravel; is that right?

[dsc]

91. Yes and if the others had affairs I would be on them too

Edwards cast his objections in very personal and religous terms and that makes his behavior all the worse.

[H2O Man]

6. I would suggest

that all outrage be re-directed towards the Bush-Cheney administration.

[krabigirl]

7. Excellent post.

[ProSense]

8. "ignorant, holier than thou attitudes of the American people." You mean like

Edwards?

[mudesi]

13. Who do you think he was pandering to? (nm)

[ProSense]

16. Well,

his pandering came back to bite him in the ass. He's a hypocrite.

[gatorboy]

20. He certainly thought marriage was too precious a commodity for gay couples.

Just sayin'...

[arthritisR_US]

44. yep and let's not forget what he said after the Lewinski affair...

“I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter.”

If it weren't for those two things I wouldn't be so disgusted.

[DutchLiberal]

79. Ouch! Touché!

[smoogatz]

9. I'm not seeing a lot of moral outrage here.

Support for Elizabeth, yes, and a lot of posts like yours decrying the moral outrage. I think mostly people are just kind of baffled: the guy's got a great wife, he's running for the highest office in the country, and this is the decision he makes? A lot of his supporters find it so out of what they imagined his character to be that they're a bit shocked and disappointed. Edwards skeptics like me find this revelation to be of a piece with what they already suspected about Edwards: that he's a self-serving jackass with singularly bad judgment. Neither of those positions really qualify as moral outrage.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. I guess Kennedy was a lousy president too then...

who they sleep on the side with has precious little to do with how they lead the country and how their policies affect my day to day life

This is essentially a non-story, but Muricans fall for these things like clockwork!

[smoogatz]

17. Yeah, it was really a bummer the way the media were all over Kennedy's

alleged infidelities back in 1963. It crippled his presidency!

Not.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Care to tell me why they do it today and not in 1963?

One reason we revel in it

The other, you can blame Gary Hart

But in case you haven't noticed... chasin tail on the side only ruin's democrat's careers, the more progressive the worst it becomes

Care to tell me why?

(I just gave you some HUGE dots to connect and part of the problem is US)

[DutchLiberal]

80. Kennedy was a lousy president, but that had nothing to do with his affairs...

[Pyrzqxgl]

24. Like Lenny Bruce said "Some guys will do it to mud"

"Let your mud fix your dinner for you!"

[Runcible Spoon]

"character" voters are pathetic and the easiest to pander to.

actually takes some mental effort to research a politician's history and platform.

[MorningGlow]

10. Yes, PLEASE

Everything's been said. Repeatedly. He screwed up. He could have been the nominee, but he wasn't. He's not serving in any governmental capacity at this time so WHO THE PHK CARES.

[Stuckinthebush]

11. As someone who has been hurt by such foolishness

I am sickened by a man I thought was better than that.

I also believe that if we condemn the GOP for engaging in this type of sophomoric behavior then we should condemn our own.

As for "moral outrage", I'm not sure what you mean. I am disappointed by him and disgusted at his actions because his actions hurt his family.

[nadinbrzezinski]

I'll condemn them ONLY when there was a crime and the legal system got

involved.

Until then... it is a PRIVATE MATTER

[XemaSab]

45. I'm not judging him as harshly as some people here

It was a STUPID thing to do, and he shouldn't have done it. But he's human, and humans make mistakes.

That being said, politicians either run on experience or character, and Edwards definitely ran on character. He ran on being a person of strong morals, compassion, and family.

I can understand the disappointment a lot of people are feeling, but running on character is always a gamble. :shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I'll condemn them ONLY when there was a crime and the legal system got

involved.

Until then... it is a PRIVATE MATTER

[Stuckinthebush]

23. Condemnation does not require a crime

I condemn parents for teaching their children that bullying is ok. Many do. - no crime

I condemn Republicans for caring more about profit than people. - no crime

I condemn corporations for maximizing profit over providing adequate health care coverage for their employees. - no crime

I condemn parents for teaching their children that homosexuality is evil. - no crime

I condemn some churches for excluding clergy who have experienced divorce. - no crime

I condemn Nancy Pelosi for keeping impeachment "off the table" - no crime

I condemn narcissists for getting their jollies at the expense of the trust and well-being of their families. - no crime.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. And chasin tail is still a PRIVATE MATTER between, in this case, him, his wife

and his kids

Not yours, and not mine

Given how many men and women chase tail, even in happy marriages, give it a rest and grow up

(Yes the percentages are somewhere around 40% among males and 25% among women and yes you can search these stats in the intertubes)

Oh and by the way Nancy Pelosi may very well by now fit the definition of obstruction of justice, which is a crime.

[Stuckinthebush]

30. It is public now

When a person becomes a public figure and says, "trust me" then his actions are certainly to be scrutinized. I and others have scrutinized, been appalled, and condemned. I wish them luck with their marriage. From this vantage point it sure seems that Elizabeth deserves much better.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. On a practical matter this affects YOUR LIFE exactly how?

And if you were a PERSONAL friend of Elizabeth Edwards, fine I'd get it

But best case they are distant acquaintances (I have met some politicians in this way), but close? You kidding me? Do I want to know what goes in in the bedroom between them and their wives? NO

And it is time people GROW THE FUCK UP.

It does not affect you, and this is not a personal relationship

I know that seeing this, there is no way I'd ever run for office... EVER and I don't have any skeletons I am aware off... but NO THANKS... people don't deserve it.

[Stuckinthebush]

36. A person's character is evident in his or her actions

When a person holds himself up as a public figure then their actions are open for scrutiny. Many people, like me, supported John with money and time. We pointed to him as a honest, trustworthy figure. His dumb ass actions show him to really be a narcissistic fool. Private matter? Please. When he asked us to support him in his run for the most public of all positions in the world we trusted him. Meanwhile, he is out screwing around on his wife (who had cancer)just to get his rocks off. He didn't care that it would probably be discovered and would torpedo his entire presidential ambitions. That is selfish. I am amazed at the few (and there are just a few) here who want to give him a pass on this. No. He acted dishonorably and I'm glad that he is not the nominee now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. My god so you feel personally betrayed because he acted like

40% of males in this country, since you gave him some money

News to you, we gave money, we voted for him, even the day after he dropped out.

I just don't expect saints to run...

I voted for him on his POLICY stances, but chasing tail on the side does not shock me... and quite brutally honest, as long as LAWS are not broken, it is none of my business.

Yes, I will say it again... time people grow up... sex happens... we are chiefly animals, and the human animal is driven by certain drives, including reproduction.

If you expect a saint to run for office, you will be disappointed ALMOST every time.

[Stuckinthebush]

42. I don't expect a saint

I expect someone trustworthy.

Infidelity is a destructive and selfish act. I have no idea why you think that it is ok to excuse it. As one of the 60% of males in this country who have been tempted and decided against such foolishness, I do take issue with my brothers who are too weak to resist. I especially take issue with one of my brothers who had an amazing, supportive wife and ran for president surrounding himself with his amazing family to bolster his image. I take issue with this man because, I, as a man, have been there and decided that it would hurt too many people. I decided that I was better than that. My male friends have been there and made the right decision to not hurt others to get their rocks off. I'll call him out on this and not give him a pass on a "private matter". I'll stand toe to toe with him, stick my finger in his chest, and tell him he is a selfish bastard. Most men would.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. History mostly... given how many of our presidents chased tail

and were amongst our brightest lights...

And none of them would have even dreamt of entering politics given today's environment

And we will continue to get sub leaders as long as things that don't matter that much are pushed the way they are and things that actually matter are ignored

[mudesi]

19. Your disgust qualifies

His hurting his family is none of your business. His sex life has no bearing on his ability to lead the country. You are "sickened" by a man you thought was "better than that". Better than what, exactly? Better than human?

Moral outrage. Right in your own post.

[Stuckinthebush]

26. I am disgusted that a man I thought was trustworthy

turned out to be a man that would betray the trust of his family.

Telling me and others not to look because it is "private" is ridiculous. This is a man who would lead his country and his own family can't trust him. Sorry, he doesn't get a pass because he is one of us.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Ok lets play a game of if

what if John Edwards got elected to office, the presidency

How many other Presidents in US History have done exactly this in the past?

And how many of them were affected by this?

Chasin' tail has nothing to do with political leadership

Time for Americans to grow up regarding human sexuality and STOP taking the bait every time and twice on sunday

Until then, we deserve the substandard leaders we get

[Stuckinthebush]

31. Sorry

Not gonna let him off the hook that easily.

It was a scummy thing to do and he deserves scorn.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. You can do as you wish, but this attitude is precisely what keeps

good people from running EVAH...

And as I said, and will repeat, we get the leaders we deserve

[Stuckinthebush]

37. We have many, many "leaders"

who don't do stupid shit like that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. I'd not bet on it

or you will be disappointed. We have many leaders who do this stupid shit FOR YEARS and manage to keep it under wraps

[Stuckinthebush]

43. By exposing those idiots

We tell the narcissistic dick heads who might be tempted to do stupid shit to think twice. Turning our heads is cowardly.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. No, it is childish

these narcissist dickheads went into politics since they are that way by nature

Other countries learned this a long time ago... time we get over the sex is icky

[Stuckinthebush]

52. It is not about the sex

It is about trust. Hell if he was a single guy fucking around I wouldn't give a damn. He wasn't. He made a vow to his wife and broke it. If you break that vow what other promises are you willing to break?

[nadinbrzezinski]

57. Yes it is about sex

and you will not convince me otherwise

This country is coming from that damn puritan sense where sex is icky, we just like to dress it in many other dresses, but it is ... ultimately, about the sex

[Stuckinthebush]

63. I have one of the most progressive views about sex

I won't go into it here, but suffice it to say, sex isn't icky to me.

In this instance it is about trust.

[Runcible Spoon]

64. human beings are liars. we learn the art form very early in life.

the only real question is what promises are important and which are relevant. What you condemn as cheating is then praised as bi-partisan consensus building and reasoned flexibility when it comes to political decisions. The real truth here is that most married people cheat, and the actual act of cheating has absolutely fuck-all to do with how someone does his/her job. There could be something to be said about the added emotional stress, but then again that stress was already there most likely and was a factor in the impulse to cheat.

Here's my take: I really believe that a lot of high-level politicians, especially Republicans, are sociopaths. Literally. By fucking up on a human emotional level, Edwards has shows that he is not one. That's somewhat comforting.

[Stuckinthebush]

93. I'd agree with your last sentence

But I don't think "most married couples cheat".

I won't go over and over it, but it has to do with a level of trust. I'm disappointed in his judgment. I won't dwell on it. I just condemn his foolishness.

That's all.

[sendero]

53. Like it or not

.... this little indiscretion ends Edwards' political career and rightly so. It's not just that he "chased some tail", he "chased some tail" while his wife is in the battle of/for her life.

It absolutely demonstrates a weakness of character that easily disqualifies someone as president, IMHO.

I understand the temptations available to a man with that much money and power, that doesn't help at all.

And BTW, I'm a long-term Edwards supporter who was hoping he'd get the nomination. Now I'm very glad he didn't.

[nadinbrzezinski]

58. Free dot to connect

why didn't it end Vitter's career? And that one involved solicitation (which may or may not have crossed into a criminal complaint, but connections help)

TPB didn't want a progressive with a voice... period, This is also what this is about

[ProSense]

61. It ended Jim McGreevey's

People don't like lying and cheating. It's a signal of abuse of power.

[nadinbrzezinski]

99. Was he a democrat? Was he a progressive?

There you go

[sendero]

101. Maybe people expect more..

... from people who claim to have higher standards of conduct. When a pig is caught in the trough, nobody is that surprised, and "conservatives" are much more pragmatic by nature than "liberals".

When I say career, I should have been more specific, I meant any presidential aspirations. They are over.

[Peregrine Took]

65. I agree 100% and these moral relativists make me sick to my stomach.

Its not cool or hip or ok to piss all over your spouse, your family and your marriage vows and if you think it is I feel sorry for your family.

[fascisthunter]

88. wrong place

[fascisthunter]

84. many said the same thing regarding Clinton

pretty phony

[Inspired]

46. No, we should protect our own.

This is the problem with Democrats. We are too easy to 'condemn' each other. Sad.

[Stuckinthebush]

49. No, we are better than that

Wrong is wrong. We are Dems because we call out wrong when we see it.

It is sad to do otherwise.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. I know that there are several reasons that keep me from running

1.- The cost... I don't have a spare million or two

2.- Any skeletons or suposed skeletons in my closet and the faux outrage of the American people about things that don't matter

Until at least the second changes due to growth in our attitudes towards sex, among others, forget it. Why bother even trying to run for office.

And to be quite honest, there are days I firmly believe we get exactly what we deserve

[qwlauren35]

68. Funny, Obama ran with both obstacles.

The man didn't have millions, and he has a very publicly-admitted period of drug use in his past.

He took the skeletons out of the closet and laid them out in his front yard.

Obama is NOT A SAINT. But, having admitted it, he gets to move on to more important things.

I also believe that you can't run on character, parading your family, your love for your older wife, condemning others for sexual infidelity, etc. and then have an affair AND DENY IT!!!!!

Abe Lincoln ran on character. Obama is running on character. If Obama had an affair he would go down in flames like a screaming phoenix.

The funny thing about Clinton is that we all knew he was a philanderer. It was the denial.

If having sexual liaisons outside of one's marriage is such a non-issue, and so common, why go through the elaborate ruse of hiding it? Step up, admit it and move on!!!!

The more American men and women in politics who do this (admit to affairs and tell our citizenry to get over it), the faster we'll get over it.

SO! Once the campaigning is over, maybe you can see how we can move toward this end.

[seabeyond]

18. But it shouldn't be this way.... because it is so much more openminded to embrace hurting

one another

i mean wtf

really i dont give a shit about edwards sex life. i am pissed he ran knowing this comes out. every person yelling about the moral outrage and prudish dislike of sex are poster like you telling us not to be pissed that he was trying for the nomination knowing that he would lose if it came out. not a single of you posters acknowledge that the anger on the board is the position he would have put us in. why, that is a viable argument. much better to just yell at us it is MORAL outrage.

but lets talk about moral outrage.

when did it become preferable that hurting each other is an ok even respectable thing to do and not hurting others = moral outrage and something negative.

[Dave From Canada]

21. Wrong. In Canada, a prominent politician who ran for Prime Minister, cheating on his wife who's

battling cancer, would not have been received with a shrug. Sorry.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. Canadian history says otherwise

in recent western democracies the last sex scandal to go anywhere was the Profumo Affair... and only since it involved some criminality on the side

There would have been some pointed fingers, I am sure CNBC would have had an hour or two of coverage, but not almost a whole news cycle while we have a real war in central Europe that can ignite the fires of a world war, potentially that is

The exception to this is obviooisly the US, where we care who sleeps with who, scream in faux outrage and even ask for things that matter to get their own boards. I mean don't bother our precious mind with things that matter

[physioex]

22. It might have ended Edwards campaign had he won the primary....

But it really depends on the situation and background. It certainly didn't happen with Bill Clinton.

Ohhh...And I agree with what you are saying. It was a consetual relationship between adults. Which means it is none of our business. I don't care about it on either side as long as it is between consentual adults.

[DianeG5385]

33. In my opinion Edwards deserves scorn. His whole schtick was family

and up from poverty. I always found him fake. I know a lot of folks on this board want "to get past this" and so do I. I hope that is very soon and doesn't impact Obama. By the way, it's not the cheating in his case, it's the fact that he held HIMSELF up as an object of moral rectitude which he wasn't. He USED his family and he USED our trust and THAT is what is pissing off a lot of us. HE BROKE TRUST. If his campaign did not so infuse itself around family we might be giving him a pass. The thing that bugs me the most is that he had the affair KNOWING he was going to run for prez, AND he enlisted Elizabeth in his cover up!!!! Sorry if you think it's all about sex. In this case it was NOT!!!

[Peregrine Took]

67. He is one of the biggest phony's I've ever seen in my life and I've seen a lot.

He should win an Academy Award, really.

[renie408]

40. Ok, I can go with that. The sex is the least of it for me. It's the lack of judgement..

etc. that piss me off. Some day I hope like hell that a candidate's private life is not an issue. But today it is and Edwards certainly knows that. I do not condone adultery. I think it might make me 'like' a candidate less. But it wouldn't change how I voted.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

41. I'm morally outraged about the risk he took with our lives - NOT about the sex...

and in light of the risk he took, I now doubt that he would have made a "fantastic President".

[Inspired]

48. The risk he took with OUR lives?

:rofl:

[renie408]

59. Ok, it was a tad dramatic, but I think they meant by endangering the election.

You have to admit,it would really fuck up your life if he had gotten the nomination and we lost the GE over this.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

98. Not dramatic. That is exactly what he did. He fucked around on US. And the consequences to US...

could have been severe.

[seabeyond]

47. do YOU get it yet. post after post after post telling you fuck the sex, not about sex

yet i bet ya..... we will continue to hear the argument is fuckin moral outrage.

any honesty going on in this argument?

this is why people still back bushie boy. change the argument to ridiculous and not what is and then feel self righteous in stand

[Runcible Spoon]

60. could you please sober up and repost? I just drowned in your syntax.

no offense.

[seabeyond]

66. offend and then say no offense. that always makes me laugh

post after post says it isnt about the sex. it is not moral outrage. explain it is that edwards put party in bad position if he won.

every defender yells at us about our "supposed yet not reality based" moral outrage. this is not about moral outrage. regardless of how many times and how many posters say it isnt moral outrage and go thru ther whole thing, defenders yell..... moral outrage. stop the moral outrage. it is bullshit

it is changing the argument to be able to righteously stand against those pissed at edwards. but it isnt the real argument. and i will repeat again.... poster after poster on ALL the threads and this thread continually say NOT about the sex

bet very next thread defending edwards will yell about the moral outrage

[Runcible Spoon]

72. I sincerely apologize if English is not your native language.

I still don't understand what you are trying to argue here.

[seabeyond]

87. it isnt that hard to follow. i suppose you dont understand that either.

[Runcible Spoon]

94. Like I said, you write as if English is not your first language.

I'm sorry, but your syntax is so jumbled and incoherent it's really impossible to follow what you are trying to argue. But hey, if you think it's an issue with my reading comprehension, you go right on and believe that. It won't help your writing skills, though.

Cheers.

[Runcible Spoon]

54. K and fuckin' R.

Only in America does this kind of shit get the level of play in the field of politics.

As far as anyone who felt personally betrayed or felt some level of trust broken...they're fucking politicians. Your fault for being naive and investing any level of personal emotional attachment to someone you will most likely never meet and most certainly never know on a personal level.

It's one thing to get inspired by the possibility of things actually changing around here, but to get emotionally attached to a public figure boggles me. Some of the distraught hand-wringing I read here is so extreme it's like Edwards was cheating on DU posters.

[Vidar]

55. I agree. K&R.

[TXDemGal]

56. I'm WITH ya, totally

and I'm a WOMAN! The puritanism in this country with regard to sex runs sickeningly high, even today. The fact that this is even a story really saddens me. Which is not to say that I don't think Elizabeth has good reason to kick him to the curb, but it's pretty clear she won't. And that's because anyone who has been married for more than 20 years -- to the same person -- knows that here in real life on earth, "stuff" does indeed happen. Children die. People lose their jobs, their homes. Spouses get very, very sick and sometimes they even die. And other spouses may have sex with people outside their marriages, hoping that what they did never gets back to their better halves. Is what happened in the sex lives of consenting adults, one of whom was running for the highest office in the land -- and the innocent spouse they cheated on -- the business of the whole damn country? I think NOT. :wtf:

The fact that J. Edwards lied to the public, his staff, and the people who love him the most about his horn dog ways is completely predictable. Of COURSE he lied! He thought he could get away with it and probably feels ashamed. And to the public who feels betrayed by JE's transgression I have to paraphrase what I read some European posting on a NY Times blog: when will the U.S. stop sacrificing its best potential leaders over issues that have little bearing on their leadership ability? I hope it's soon, but I'm not optimistic about that. Those of us who put our leaders up on the Daddy Pedestal are bound to be bitterly disappointed.

[Peregrine Took]

62. Do you honestly believe he would have made a "fantastic" president?

I am incredulous that any sane adult would would say this.

He is a known liar and a cheat.

You think this is good presidential material after what we have been through with the bush administration?

I just hope like hell his despicable conduct doesn't besmirch the whole party for '08.

[TXDemGal]

71. Being a "known liar" about marital infidelity

is just a BIT different than being a known liar about, say, starting a fucking illegal war, doncha think?? :eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

78. I'd rather have a President who isn't a total liar, thanks.

[deaniac21]

69. You are right he is a great american. Just the kind of man

I'd want to marry. I wish we had more like him. He sure has a purty mouth too!

[Skittles]

70. LOL

EDWARDS CO-SPONSORED THE WORST FOREIGN POLICY DECISION IN AMERICAN HISTORY - his credibility was SHOT

[Runcible Spoon]

73. OMG don't go pulling actual policy decisions into this!

:spank:

I honestly don't feel strongly about Edwards one way or the other, but your point is right on and I hope it sobers some of the scandal-drunken idiots around here.

[DutchLiberal]

74. THANK YOU!

Finally...! :applause:

[Occam Bandage]

76. Were you just as pissy about the people talking about Craig, Vitter, Foley, and Haggard?

[DutchLiberal]

81. That's different. They were the 'family values' hypocrites.

[Occam Bandage]

85. So was Edwards.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/08/edwards-closed-door-impeachment-statement/

[DutchLiberal]

92. Touché!

[nadinbrzezinski]

100. Let me check

Vitter solicitation sex with a prostitute, pleaded down and dismissed but under US Law a misdemeanor

Craig, Soliciting sex from a prostitute... he pleaded guilty

Haggard.. well in this case there was solicitation but never charges, none of my bidness

Foley, solicitation from minors, grand jury dismissed charges due to lack of evidence, (or connections) his career is over.

Of the four you mentioned the only one that didn't really end in the legal complaint department is the only one with a career, sort off... (Hagard)... and of course Vitter and Craig may or may not loose his seat... he was going to resign, but with all the spinning don't know whether he decided to run or not in the end.

Do you need me to 'splain the difference? Until this case ends up before a grand jury, where it would logically end... it is none of my bidness.

And yes Hagard's was none of my bidness either. But they only become my bidness when they cross the line into criminal law. Until then, grow up. Sex happens

Though I may call on the hypocrisy of the family values crowd at times... sex, and who you have it with, is your very private bidness UNTIL and only UNTIL it crosses the line into legal problems. By the by, this is why Europeans madly laugh at us Muricans... very inward looking and immature, as well as puritan. The only sex scandal that reached any crescendo in recent European history is the Frofumo affair. It even cost the PM his job, and it was due to the legal issues involved... not the sex.

[helderheid]

83. You just don't get it.

*sigh*

[EstimatedProphet]

86. I don't agree with you often, but I do this time

The thing that gets me the most: when Clinton's affair came out, all the media pundits were saying that it would have been so much better had he just admitted it from the start. He should ahve just been honest and thay could have forgiven him yadda yadda words words words.

That's what Edwards did. Doesn't look like they meant it, does it?

[Garbo 2004]

95. Edwards didn't admit it from the start. Not when he decided to run, not in Oct/Dec 2007

when he was asked about it. He lied. He only admitted the affair---and that he lied about it during the campaign---after he was busted at the Hilton & it was evident that media (not just NE) were tracking the money trail and the Dems wanted a resolution of the issue before the Convention.

Given the probable outcomes, he should have at least admitted it when it initially was raised by the media in 2007. It wouldn't have been pleasant or without consequences but it would have been preferable to a cover up that would unravel (Hunter evidently was chatty about her personal life) and spared everyone the image of a former contender for "leader of the free world" (remember he was the "tough guy" who was going to give the corporations and vested interests hell) running like a scared rabbit and hiding in a restroom of the Beverly Hilton. That's more humiliating (and perhaps telling) IMO than being an adult about it from the beginning. If he had done that, there would have no been reason for lies, a coverup, hush or accomodation money, no secrets to worry about keeping.

[EstimatedProphet]

96. Fine, but HE came out with it on his own

He came out with it long before his back was to the wall, like Clinton's was. All that had come out at the time was an article in a scandalsheet that everyone was dismissing anyway. He wasn't forced into revealing things at this time.

[RNdaSilva]

89. Agree...

[fascisthunter]

90. I think its a big act...phony outrage

We saw the same from many republican pundits in the media when Clinton got caught lying about his extra-marital affairs. I didn't believe the outrage then and I still don't today.

If it bothers some that much, see a marriage counselor and deal with your own shit... stop using John as your whipping boy.


PS - election season

[cigsandcoffee]

97. She was (over)paid with campaign money.

That's a slap in the face to the folks who contributed to his effort. I find that part of it outrageous, at a minimum, and I also find it denoting a severe lack of character. Paying your mistress hush money that was donated by hardworking believers in your campaign is not "being human," or succumbing to "human frailty." It's immoral, at least, and I think it should be criminal. Campaign domations are a trust and a contract, at least ethically.