There is some sincerity and some snake oil in every politician, but John Edwards exudes both in almost freakish measure. During the primaries, I saw him deeply move audiences with his up-from-nothing life story, his empathy for the working class and his clarion call for a national crusade to eliminate poverty. Afterward, though, I usually heard a few snarky comments about the golden perfection of his hair, the blazing whiteness of his smile and the opulence of his North Carolina mansion.
Maybe Slippery John somehow convinced Earnest John that this moment would never come. In fact, it was inevitable -- and if Edwards had somehow won the Democratic nomination, the party would be in the midst of a historic meltdown.
In terms of newsworthiness, it's supposedly not that a politician has an affair (none of our business, we tell ourselves) but that the politician lies when asked about it, thus violating the public's trust. And, indeed, Edwards lied when the National Enquirer confronted him about his affair nearly a year ago, and he continued to lie until his confession on Friday.
In this case, though, we should just admit that it's not the lie that makes the story compelling. It's the "How could he?" factor. We all know about Elizabeth Edwards's battle against breast cancer. We remember the news conference at which the couple announced that the cancer had returned and was incurable but that they intended to press ahead with the presidential campaign. We saw a strong, loving marriage that could teach us all lessons about living life to the fullest.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/09/AR2008080901377.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
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