Pass The Final Verdict -- John Edwards Is.....

[THUNDER HANDS]

Poll question: Pass The Final Verdict -- John Edwards Is.....

[Webster Green]

1. Honest mistake?

Not exactly. It was a dishonest mistake at best.

[JeanGrey]

27. An honest mistake that should be forgiven?

Not hardly. Geesh.

[salguine]

105. I'm so sick of that excuse. A mistake is something

that happens accidentally. You don't trip over your own feet and accidentally stick your dick into another woman who's not your wife.

My own father made that "mistake" many, many years ago and I've NEVER gotten over it. Our relationship was never the same after that and I don't think it ever will be again. I'm sorry for his kids. But fuck him.

[Milspec]

117. Well, Honest mistake, yes

sweetheart I just lost track of my dick, sort of like the time I forgot to pick up the milk.

[Whisp]

131. no kidding. and don't forget aobut his other 'honest' mistake - Iraq war.

and whose to know how many we don't know about

[NightWatcher]

2. Other: Completely irrelevant

[Nedsdag]

95. I like that.

I would've voted for that as well.

[quakerboy]

135. pretty much.

we have a new president elect and 4 years of repair work to do. WTF does Edwards have to do with anything here in gd Presidential?

[Mojambo]

3. "Judging is easy. Understanding is hard."

I heard that somewhere some time back.

I don't understand what John Edwards did. And I'm certainly not interested in judging him for it.

His political voice will be missed though.

[Demi_Babe]

4. agreed...judgment is not my thing

[AgadorSparticus]

176. my sentiments exactly. I try not to judge b/c I have made my fair share of mistakes too

[Demobrat]

5. He didn't just cheat on his cancer-stricken wife.

He risked the consequences to not just himself, but the country and the world had he been nominated and then caught. THAT is why he should never have a place in public life again. He's shown just where his loyalties and concerns lie, and it's not with the voters.

[secondwind]

11. wow, you guys are HARSH!

[SlowDownFast]

13. What part of

Edwards-could-have-cost-us-the-presidential-election do you not understand?

[secondwind]

39. you guys are all sounding like frightened rabbits, contemplating what

could have happened! Get over it. The man made a mistake. Period.

[high density]

60. He made a mistake, and then he decided to run for President again anyway

In my opinion, the fact that he chose to run again was an insult to every Democrat. Edwards thought he was so great he could keep this secret and lie it away. Even the media gave him the benefit of the doubt. We already have Bush/Cheney that lies endlessly to protect themselves or further their agenda. Edwards can fade away into obscurity any time now.

[JuniperLea]

72. Had he won the nomination...

He would have handed the election over to McCain/Palin! This is a serious thing, something I'm not likely to "get over" so easily. He is beyond rehabilitation. Fade... indeed. The faster the better.

[JuniperLea]

69. A fatal mistake... the kind he was smart enough to avoid...

But chose not to.

This was a choice he made, a very, very bad choice that has rendered his political career invalid. HE needs to get over it. No amount of "rehabilitation" is going to put the shine on that turd.

And that comes from a once rabid Edwards supporter.

He took a chance, not only with his wife, but with the election! Had he won the nomination, you'd be congratulating McCain and Palin right now for their big win. THAT is how bad this was. THAT is what his stupidity nearly cost us.

Now tell me again how harsh DUers are on this thread!

[Crunchy Frog]

98. He didn't make a mistake, he made a decision

that would have cost us the presidency had he won the nomination. He is now irrelevant, and I'm happy to keep it that way.

[cali]

148. Did he also make just a mistake when he co-sponsored an IWR resolution?

Just a mistake to vote for a bad bankruptcy bill? How about voting for Yucca Mt? Just a mistake to preach the environment and build a 24, 000 sq ft? Just a mistake to preach about the poor and cancel his scholarship program for poor students? Just a mistake to go work for a sleazy hedge fund and make money from foreclosures on Katrina victims? I could go on, but surely you get the idea.

[Demobrat]

51. You think so?

I think four more years of W would have been harsh. The guy can risk his own future with impunity, for all I care. Mine, not so much.

[deyvehd]

42. But everybody's doing it!

What is it about political office that just screams sex scandal...

[hlthe2b]

64. A Louse, yes. But by some standards JFK, RFK & Teddy

would have been shunned, maybe never even elected (JFK), never present to bring a sense of calm after the tragedy of MLK's assasination (RFK), never stood up for the people in the US Senate all these many many decades (Teddy).

Just sayin...

[Demobrat]

65. This isn't about them.

It's about Edwards, what he chose to do and the political climate in which he chose to do it. He made his bed, etc.

[hlthe2b]

67. Oh, really? Then it is about inconsistency, paradox, and yes,

hypocrisy.

Edwards' behavior is not at all far removed from that of JFK, RFK, Ted Kennedy, and, yes, William Jefferson Clinton.Yet, they are amenable to redemption, but for Edwards, no hope for anything but shunning and exile for the rest of his life?

[Demobrat]

79. If any one of the aforementioned

had run against W while hiding a love child I seriously doubt whether redemption would have been in the offing for them, either. Unfortunately for Edwards his timing was the only thing worse than his judgement.

[Hippo_Tron]

100. They all ran in the era when the President's sex life wasn't public

Back then you could have an affair without the risk of taking your party down with you. That is not the case anymore.

[anneboleyn]

106. His betrayal was on a big scale in that sense, he betrayed all of his voters too since if he got

caught after he had been selected as the dem nominee (if he had been chosen, of course, which he wasn't) the dems might have lost the election this year.

[eridani]

136. There are all kinds of places in public life that don't involve getting elected to anything

He has enough money from lawyering to choose public service of some sort for the rest of his life if he wants. He just can't run for anything.

[Demobrat]

152. That's right, and he has every right to work at anything he chooses.

The only thing he has no right to do is ask for the public trust. Heck, he can even do that if he so chooses. He's have to be delusional, but the guy thought he could hide a mistress and baby while running for president, so maybe delusional isn't such a stretch.

[hlthe2b]

6. Human....

:shrug:


All my love and support to Elizabeth, but I pass no judgement. That's for her to do, if you ask me.

[JeanGrey]

28. I am tired of hearing about how screwing around on your

wife is "human". Not to me.

[hlthe2b]

48. And what gives you the right, rather than Elizabeth, to be the

judge of his worth as a human being-- on balance? That is my point. I never said his behavior was anything other than despicable.

Humans commit despicable acts. Some are shit holes beyond redemption on balance. Others may live their lives working in ways that show character beyond their horrendous misjudgment. JFK screwed around, as did Bobby. Yet, I certainly can not judge their entire lives nor character on this one aspect-- this one serious and despicable flaw.

Is it worse that Edwards would do such a thing with Elizabeth facing cancer? Absolutely. Which is why I take her judgment as to his true worth on balance more than that of anyone else.

[JeanGrey]

121. Sorry. He is an asshole of the major kind and besides betraying

both his wife and children and screwing them up, and creating ANOTHER child illegitimately, he could have TOTALLY wrecked our chances this time which shows what a selfish and sick man he is.

[Turn CO Blue]

62. So much bitterness on display in every single JE thread...

[JeanGrey]

122. And always will be and he deserves every single bit of it.

If nothing else for how he almost wrecked this election.

[SpiralHawk]

7. One of them there human beings

fer sure

[Lex]

8. Is . . . Someone who Completely Ruined His Life and Promising Political Career.

What an act of self-destruction.

[Demobrat]

55. Thank goodness he got caught before

he took the country and the world down with him.

[Turn CO Blue]

61. Hyperbole much? He didn't come close to winning the nod

so it's completely impossible for him to have taken the "country and the world" down with him.

[Demobrat]

71. No, he didn't, but not for lack of trying.

He would have had absolutely no qualms about running for president knowing that his secret life could be revealed at any juncture. A massive betrayal of not just the trust of his wife, but that of his supporters, who believed they could trust him to be upfront about who and what he was.

[Turn CO Blue]

84. It was beyond disappointing,

but I think people go too far in taking this personally. Elizabeth is the ONE person with the right to feel betrayed. Everyone else is ONLY entitled to feel something less personal.

But there is a reality check here - there was no chance that Edwards would or could have won. He never had the math and he and his team knew it. He should not have run in the first place, but his critics that continue to harp on how Edwards would have taken us down with him is taking "borrowing trouble" entirely too far - a universe too far. It's like listening to a bunch of hyperbolic grannies -- "he would have put the whole worlds' eyes out running with those scissors!

[stevenleser]

89. I disagree with all of these "Edwards could not have won" comments

If you consider a race where Obama or Hillary do not jump in the race, Edwards becomes the alternative to either one that remains for obvious reasons. If it is Hillary, I think Edwards wins, he apologized for his Iraq war vote and he is much more charismatic than Hillary. If it is Barack, he makes it close at first, but I think Obama wins.

Edwards was squeezed out of the race because of the presence of both Hillary and Obama, both of whom were historic firsts for the top two major Democratic constituencies.

[karynnj]

163. I disagree

Hillary would have slaughtered him if it was just him. If he were the only opponent, Bill Clinton would have attacked Edwards on Iraq , which would have been easier than his attack on Obama. Compared to HRC, Edwards was a co-sponsor and his comments for nearly a year after the invasion were more numerous and more pro-war than HRC's. In addition, though the media kept writing of Edwards' charisma - it did not translate to primary votes in either 2004 or 2005. In addition, it is very likely that someone else would have been included in the top tier if Edwards was not there.

In addition the comments refer to if he won the nomination - and this came out as it was very likely to - as it already did in 2007.

[Demobrat]

87. His supporters are entitled to feel whatever they damn well please.

As is every American who's vote he asked for. Pissed, betrayed, relieved, whatever. The man took a chance. He gambled and lost his credibility.

[JuniperLea]

73. Thankfully that is the case

Still, there's no rehabilitating that one.

[secondwind]

9. we are sounding like unforgiving Repukes for Pete's Sake! Let's give the guy a break.

[Left Is Write]

47. Give the guy a break for putting the Democratic Party in jeopardy

during a critical election cycle? Why does he deserve a break for that? Can you imagine how this would have played out if he'd gotten the nomination?

[benny05]

104. But he disappeared

STFU

[Left Is Write]

126. You're telling me to STFU?

Sorry, no. I'll respond as I see fit.

[benny05]

147. I'm saying if you are spewing hate about him

Then it is better not to say anything at all.

[Left Is Write]

150. Nothing I said could be considered "spewing hate."

[tritsofme]

10. The decline and fall of John Edwards was the most entertaining portion

of the entire presidential process for me.

My favorite was the thread where I made a comment regarding his sleazy behavior a day before it hit the national news. His enraged supporters wanted my head, but maybe they should have gone after his?

[CTyankee]

174. We can't be all judgmental of John McCain's infidelity and his betrayal of a disabled wife

and then turn a blind eye to Edwards. I don't know about any of you, but I don't wear the "hypocrite" label comfortably. I was a strong supporter of John Edwards and would have voted for him in our super tuesday primary but he had dropped out by then so I voted for Hillary.

I am BITTERLY disappointed in Edwards, but I don't hate him (hate is bad for the soul). However, a new day has dawned and I prefer to think of Edwards as just a fading bad memory...

[ellie]

12. I really, really liked Edwards

I wanted to vote for him in the Ohio primary but he had dropped out already. But for fuck's sake. An affair? I read the comments in the other thread about how "he is only human." We so am I, but I didn't cheat on my husband and then run for president. Fuck him. I don't have to forgive him. I'm not married to him. He is just another disappointing ego-maniac politician.

[Left Is Write]

43. I liked him too.

Discovering that he was willing to risk this election for the Democratic Party over his own selfishness was a huge disappointment, and it made me angry.

[Ian David]

14. He cheated US by running for President while he KNEW he'd get busted for this. n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

15. Yep, his attempt at a cover up was even worse. nt

[jesus_of_suburbia]

19. The child is obviously his, and he STILL LIES. He is horrible. When you are caught, admit it!

[anneboleyn]

108. Yes, the child is his and he couldn't even stand by his very ill wife before fathering another kid.

[Milspec]

120. His hypocrisy.

This makes the Palin wardrobe thing almost small. Thought he was a better man.

[Whisp]

132. and he still took donars money, knowing this.

now that is really dirty low down.
he knew he was at great risk andyet blubbered about being in till the end and begging for more money.

what a creep.
but I'm glad he is talking aobut poverty issues, someone has to, - but still, somewhere deep inside me there's a vomitous reaction to a guy like Edwards and his conspicuous consumption and affluence, talking about poverty. That's a bit creepy to me too. I just can't believe him.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

16. I have no use for him. His wife is dying and he treated her like shit.

Elizabeth is an INCREDIBLE lady who is for all Americans.


Unless she gave him permission to stray (which we have no indication of)... I think he is pathetic.



I'm glad we have a man in the White House who at least appears to be faithful to his wife.

I love the Clintons, but Bill, like GHB, Reagan, and many more.. are cheaters. Get a fucking divorce if you can't keep it in your pants without the permission of your spouse.

[AtomicKitten]

17. It's not for me to judge, but what the hell was he thinking?

Elizabeth deserves better than that. A lot better.

[JeffR]

18. Other:

A good man who made a mistake (though hardly an "honest" one) and cheated on a woman I revere.

Forgiveness is not for me or anyone else here to grant him. If she forgives him, it's yet more proof of what a generous, highly evolved person she is.

In any case, it's difficult to see how he has a future in politics, but he's a smart guy with a lot of good ideas, so I expect he'll find another profession and I hope he does well with it.

[RollWithIt]

20. I know people make mistakes, but he ran for President again.. what if he'd won Iowa???

We'd be talking about President McCain right now.

[TheKentuckian]

21. I was a marginal Edwards supporter and other than running

with a chance to completely kneecap us, I don't care.

Cheating is between the people in the relationship and God. Its effectively none of my bee's wax. If his wife can get over it then so can I but I won't be behind him running for office because most people don't see it the way I do and will never go for it.

[shawmut]

22. He would have screwed us over and he didn't care.

He's a jerk.

[WI_DEM]

23. I don't know but thank goodness he wasn't leading in race to be the nominee

it would have doomed us.

[Danger Mouse]

24. A douche.

[Yukari Yakumo]

25. As often we grief Repukes for the same thing,

The same should go for Edwards.

BTW, is he the baby's daddy or not? Or is he still stonewalling on taking the test?

[Left Is Write]

37. I thought he had offered to do a DNA test and Rielle Hunter turned him down?

[anneboleyn]

109. At the time there were rumors runnning rampant that she was paid off so she wouldn't request

a paternity test. I bet you she does end up doing one or he just admits that the child is his (publicly, that is), probably after Elizabeth has passed away. Very sad.

[Left Is Write]

125. Oh, okay.

I hadn't thought of the idea (rather obvious, I suppose) that she had been paid off.

[XemaSab]

26. I knew that guy was sleazy

n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

29. LEAVE JOHN EDWARDS ALOOOONE!!!!

[racaulk]

34. YOU'RE LUCKY HE EVEN CAMPAIGNED FOR YOU BASTARDS!!!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

85. LOL! nt

[Zombie2]

35. I agree...

He's forgiven!

[Occam Bandage]

30. A political fraud. His personal life has little to do with it.

[Zombie2]

36. What he does in his bedroom....

...is none of our business.

[Occam Bandage]

41. What he does in front of the TV cameras is. nt

[Zombie2]

46. It was on TV?

:O

[corkhead]

31. his philandering would have handed the election to the pukes had he been nominated

I will not forgive him for that.

[kwenu]

32. Both.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

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[racaulk]

38. Fuck off, GrovelBot! We're too busy passing judgment here!!!11!1

:bounce:

[trof]

40. John Edwards is...toast.

I predict you'll never hear from him again.
And he was my first choice.
:-(
I'm SO glad it's Obama.

[Blue Diadem]

44. I didn't answer the poll. IMO, it's too soon for JE to be back

in the spotlight. Yes, people make mistakes all the time, no one is perfect but I think he put our party at great risk at a particularly important time in our country. I supported him and it will take a while before I trust his judgement again.

[Clintonista2]

45. I don't know but I sure remember alot of sanctimonious Edwards supporters using Bill's infidelity

as a weapon in the primaries.

Karma's a bitch.

[waiting for hope]

90. Really? I never saw that argument used

and I don't believe any of his supporters would have. As a matter of fact, many Edwards supporters switched to Hillary after January or did you forget that?

[SoCalDem]

49. O V E R ....and back to being a "private citizen"

It's sad to see the squandering of a brilliant mind, but personal actions often have dire consequences, and one must be willing to accept them.

I hope it was all worth it, in his mind, because he sacrificed a LOT, for a little nookie..

No matter what his kids say, they WILL always remember how he betrayed their mother when she was ill..

They may still love him, but I doubt they will ever truly "forgive & forget" what he did..

[Dappleganger]

50. Does not represent change.

And as a 2-time BC survivor, his behavior will always seem disgusting to me.

[Desertrose]

52. Not up to me to judge this man.....

I can have an opinion I suppose, but really...its HIS life & he gets to deal with it. Has nothing to do with me...or anyone else here really.

Just sayin'.......

[PresidentObama]

53. A good man who deserves to be forgiven n/t

[helderheid]

54. He had my primary vote. Now he has my louse vote.

[creeksneakers2]

56. Edwards was and is a phony

The affair was just more evidence.

[FrenchieCat]

57. Even if the cheating on his wife wouldn't have sunk him

had John Edwards been the nominee, his involvement in the Hedge Funds would have in light of the crisis that we have just experienced.

In other words, John Edwards set himself up for failure long ago.

He would not have made it....and since he didn't, I'm ok with what he now chooses to do.

If his wife forgives him for the affair, who I am to object? :shrug:

[Blue_In_AK]

58. I don't agree with the "honest mistake" part,

but I do think we can forgive him. We're Democrats, after all. We're not supposed to be rigidly judgmental, are we, when it comes to human failings?

[knixphan]

59. Mark me for 'Completely Irrelevant'

[karynnj]

63. "mistake" is too innocent a word - and it certainly was not honest

This was not something that just happened accidentally, nor was it a moment of weakness - it was a long term relationship. All the same that would be just EE's concern, but he ran for President while this was happening - and when in 2007 the accusations surfaced - he didn't pull out of the race. At that point, it was unlikely that the story would just go away. He knew it was true.

[ibegurpard]

66. Not only a louse

but a STUPID louse. WTF do you think you're doing running for president and not think something like that's going to come out?

[vanderBeth]

68. Two extremes, don't you think?

:shrug: I'm not prepared to say either.

[Uzybone]

70. He should be forgiven if he shows contrition

His display on Nightline right after the was caught was pathetic. That said we are all human and make mistakes, but Edwards really really disappointed me and many others.

[JuniperLea]

77. It's one thing to forgive...

But I'll not forget, nor will I trust again.

[zulchzulu]

74. Other: Politically finished

I wish he and his family well. He also has as much chance of being President as Gary Hart.

I like Gary Hart better.

[PresidentObama]

78. I see no evidence he's done politically, and he's not going to run for President.

That much is for sure.

[cali]

80. he's not popular in NC and no dem president will appoint him to anything

he's done.

[PresidentObama]

99. He doesn't have to run for political office to be a part of politics, smart one.

And apparently you don't get to decide when he's done.

Imagine that.

[cali]

139. yeah. he can always be some political. commentator on MSNBC

or not. and I'm not deciding he's toast, I'm observing it. duh.

[BklynChick]

75. IMO cheating on his wife wasn't his sin, it was running for President knowing that and the

possibility that it could come out and destroy our chances.

[anneboleyn]

110. This part is troubling because it is a giant FU to all of his voters.

[Guaranteed]

76. Not judging, not voting, not my business. nt

[Orsino]

81. Did more good than a whole platoon of gasping, outraged DUers...

...before embarking on a path of deceit, betrayal and apparent campaign fraud. I would hope that there is still more he can do to focus our attention on the matter of poverty--but we may never get past his wee-wee again.

[Thegonagle]

82. Either option is too extreme, so where's the option for...

"His political career is over; therefore, this is irrelevant?"

I've seen more than enough otherwise intelligent people going about "thinking with the wrong head," as it were. They sleep in the bed they make. Some will shun, some will forgive, and some won't care once it's all over.

Obama won, and life goes on.

[SmileyRose]

83. Totally between him and Elizabeth - NONE OF MY BUSINESS

[progressiveforever]

86. I agree 100%

[varelse]

88. Other - I'll never know the man well enough

to presume to judge his character, or him as a person. I'll leave that to his close friends, family, associates, and those who know him - to his god, if he believes in one, and to the man himself. For my part, there's nothing to forgive, because he has done me no harm.

[Ozma]

91. If ne can't keep it in his pants............

He suffers the political consequences.

We had too many of these types of men in American political history... let's talk about Hillary, not this good looking person who has no sensibilites, priorities. Thank the Lord we found out what a wretched person he was before he ran for President for real.

He would have condemned us to FOUR MORE YEARS.

I say, SCREW HIM!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

92. Unfortunate mistake. Much like Gary Hart--a smart man with one major literal screw-up.

I liked him a lot, voted for him in the primaries, and think but for the scandal he'd be a shoe-in for Attorney General right now. Alas, he made the consumate political mistake and sullied his name. Perhaps in about 10-15 years he'll be able to make a comeback--as he's still relatively young--but for now, he did himself in. Which is a huge shame because I loved his positions and interests on poverty.

[Ozma]

94. We got the BEST man, (or woman) running of the Dem ticket.

Quality and discipline and integrity shows through.

John would have been found out for the louse he is, would have lost us 4 more years!

Get off the horse........John Edwards is toast, and no forgiving is needed for this egomaniac.

He made his own bed. Let him lie in it.

[NYC_SKP]

93. 122 to 65 that he should be shunned....and Bill Clinton?

To those who mentioned that his cheating could have cost the election, you are correct, he put his ambition over our interests.

And to the man who was so thoroughly defended, "his personal life is his own business", while in the people's house, I say that there is little difference.

Bill Clinton and John Edwards both put their self-interests above what was best for the country and have to live with the consequences.

[Ozma]

97. Couldn't agree more! Bill gave us W for 8 years.

Forgiving him for that is impossible, too!

I know some people still love Bill. I don't, I voted for and supported Obama for who he is, Bill and John had nothing to do with my vote for Obama, thank Gawd.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

102. Obsess much, Ozma?

Jeez.

[anneboleyn]

111. Ozma, I dig your name. Did you read the Oz books as a child?

I loved the Ozma books especially out of the whole Oz series.

[Crunchy Frog]

96. Irrelevant.

[Erin Elizabeth]

101. How about neither?

I'm so completely indifferent on him it's ridiculous.

[benny05]

103. This POLL SUCKS big ones

And you are no better than Faux News pundits. Shame on thee.

[SoxFan]

107. A louse who cheated on his wife who should be forgiven

But not given a substantive role in public life anytime soon.

[Ozma]

112. I am not sure I follow...........playing devil's advocate here...

it's OKAY for spouse's to "cheat" on each other? What about that "sanctity of marriage" stuff..... if you want to cheat, don't get or stay married.........marriage is for people who want to be married, not for children and adolescents......get the message.

If you want to cheat, get divorced, or never get married......if you want to commit to loving someone in marriage, do it for life.

NO EXCUSES!

[SoxFan]

118. Explanation

He's a louse. No ifs, ands, or buts.

But I am also a believer in forgiveness and redemption. Hopefully, time will allow John Edwards to see how reprehensible his actions were, and he will show genuine remorse and seek forgiveness.

[Ozma]

123. I really don't care if he seeks genuine anything

He's had the best of opportunities of all people in the world, and he let his penis decide his fate.

I don't do forgiveness for what he screwed up upon. He can live without his Senate pension, without his millions, and try to start over again, like so many men who failed in their fifties and don't get a chance again.

In my opinion, paying him a pension for his "service" to the US Senate, is an insult to America.

[baldguy]

113. He's an asshole.

He's also human - and still has a lot to offer.

[annabanana]

114. human

power is a tricky thing...It affects the mind of who has it, and is an aphrodisiac for those who like that sort of thing

[Essene]

115. BOTH: shunned by the public, forgive by family and friends... let's move on

[iris27]

116. I was always uneasy about the guy but could never put my finger on why.

LOVED his stance on the issues above and beyond anyone else's in the primaries, but I just got this extreme "used-car salesman" vibe off of him and couldn't support him. Now, I guess I know why!

THANK GOD the Edwards love-fest that was everywhere in the liberal corners of the Internet early in the primaries ultimately proved unable to propel him to the nomination.

[ecstatic]

119. LOL. What a harsh set of choices. I don't want to fry him,

but the "honest mistake" option is BS as well.

[tpi10d]

124. yep the truth lies somewhere in between.

Like so many of the rest of us :)

[fed_up_mother]

127. If he was just a regular cheat, I'd have voted on the second option

but cheating on your cancer stricken wife while in the public eye?


JERK.

[peoli]

128. A Douchebag

[MrSlayer]

129. John Edwards is fine with me. I'd like to see him back.

I don't care about the affair, apparently his wife forgave him.

[Medusa]

133. Or not.

She's been seen lately w/o her wedding ring on. And the story goes that he's no longer living with her at her request.

[cali]

141. I don't care about the affair much either. I care if he paid campaign funds to

his girlfriend. I care about his pushing the Iraq war. I care about his disgusting greed as exeplified by his unsavory hedge fund activities. I care about his sucky votes in the senate. I care about his obscene 24,000 sq ft house. I care about his being a lying phone who never did much of anything for the poor and disenfranchised but try and ride them to the White House.

[MrSlayer]

144. Yeah, you're right.

Fuck him. You've convinced me.

[PatSeg]

130. That's his wife's decision

not mine.

[Iggo]

134. Oh, jeez. Not again.

And fuck Bill Clinton, too! Shun that motherfucker!

[backscatter712]

137. His wife forgave him.

I'm inclined to leave the decision to forgive or not forgive with those directly affected.

[NCarolinawoman]

151. Not sure about that.

It is reported that he is living in their home on Figure Eight Island (gated community off the coast of NC)....while Elizabeth lives in their home near Chapel Hill, NC.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

138. not the person I thought he was

The truth lies in the middle of those two choices. I'm not convinced that he was a total louse -I'm sure he did have a conscience and a sincere political ideology somewhere -but neither did he make an "honest mistake" -he knew perfectly well what he was doing and one suspects it wasn't the first time either

[and-justice-for-all]

140. Edwards is alright with me....

NO one on this board is prefect either.

[Auggie]

142. Can't trust a man who lets his penis do the thinking

[Connonym]

143. no different than the large percentage of American men who cheat on their wives

Is it really a huge surprise that people, men especially, oftentimes think with their sexual organs rather than their brains? I'm stunned that people are so shocked.

[cali]

146. uh, not that I think the cheating is unforgivable

but cheating on his terminally ill wife while paying off his little whore and running for prez and while stories were being leaked about it, makes him scum. and his record as a senator sucks anyway.

[Connonym]

168. Oh, I agree, cheating is sleazy

and there is extra sleaze in cheating on your wife who has cancer. I just don't think it's shocking. I don't know if that makes me jaded or a man hater or what but I figure most men will cheat if given the opportunity and so I'm never surprised to hear when they do. Not so much "boys will be boys" as "boys will be pigs" you know?

I know they don't ALL cheat but I believe a great majority of them do or would if given the opportunity.

[dbmk]

145. Ok, English is not my native tongue

But.. isn't an honest mistake something you did thinking it was right - but later recognising it wasn't?

[Honeycombe8]

153. What do you think he did that he could possibly have thought was right at the time?

Let's see....having an adulterous affair? You think he thought that was right at the time?

Or could it have been over-paying his mistress with campaign funds? You think he thought THAT was right at the time?

Or could it have been having an affair in the midst of a critical presidential campaign, knowing that if the story got out after he'd won the nomination, that the Democrats would almost certainly lose, resulting in another four years of Republican policies? You think THAT'S what he thought was right at the time?

He's a big boy. He's politically savvy. He knew exactly what he was doing and the risks he was taking both personally and for the country.

[dbmk]

159. Agree - hence my question. Thought the poll option was loaded.

[Honeycombe8]

161. Oh. Agreed. nt

[acmavm]

149. Treat him like any woman would be treated in the same

circumstances.

[Not the Only One]

154. a douchebag

There are plenty of liberals who aren't douchebags. We don't need John Edwards.

[mkultra]

155. why do we never have middle of the road options

Hes a decent person who made a bad mistake.

In the end, its between him and his wife.

[Occam Bandage]

156. Democrats are wishy-washy enough as it is. nt

[DevonRex]

157. The only reason I care is that he ran for office, knowing this story

was out there and that if he got the nomination he would most certainly lose when it came out.

There's also the question of campaign funds going to his mistress. And I feel bad for folks who donated their hard earned money to him. Ordinary people on budgets don't have money to just throw away like that. Who knows how many of them sacrificed something for themselves in order to donate to a doomed campaign.

And, cheating on your wife who has cancer is just awful. Add to that the fact that the entire nation found out about the cheating, further exposing Elizabeth to incredible stress is even more disgusting. That could have made her body more vulnerable and less able to fight infection and even the cancer itself.

[Araxen]

158. Human Scum

He's human scum and I'm very glad I didn't vote for him or donate any money or time to him or his campaigns. Worst of all he proved Bill O'Reilly was right that Edwards was slimy which pisses me off even more that Edwards proved O'Slimey was right.

[blue_onyx]

160. I'm kind of in the middle so I didn't vote

He's a little of both...a lousy cheat who put his wife and family through an embarrassing and hurtful scandal. I, however, appreciate his fight against poverty, an issue which he was talking about before the economy collapse and before Obama or Clinton. I believe he should be and will be forgiven (as his wife has chosen to do). It will take time...it's only been a few months. I won't trust him as much as I would've had he not cheated and lied though.

[Zynx]

162. There's no such thing as honest infidelity. This isn't like he shorted a customer by 35 cents

at a grocery store by doing bad math.

[last_texas_dem]

164. I don't know what's in his heart

In his personal life, he did something that I don't condone, and it is something that he should have been upfront about to his supporters (of which I was one, in both 2004 and 2008) earlier on- even if doing so meant scuttling his 2008 run for the presidency.

But doing one awfully shitty thing doesn't make someone irredeemable in my view, and I'm not comfortable classifying Edwards as either a monster or a good man. He's a flawed individual, as all of us are. And the fact that he cheated on his wife and wasn't upfront about it to his supporters doesn't mean he has no credibility in continuing to bring attention to causes that he believes in.

[Two Americas]

165. are we in church?

Shunned? Forgiven?

[last_texas_dem]

167. DU has the edge on most church congregations

when it comes to our supply of sanctimonious individuals.

[RoadRage]

166. For the record..

Edwards isn't the ONLY one who deserves to be in that first box. Put Clinton, JFK, and hundreds of other dems & repugs in that catagory.

You cheat on your wife (or husband) IMO, you're a loser. Divorce them first.. then play away if that's what you want to do. Just my opionion.. i've only been married 5 years.. ask me again 10 years down the road.

[goddess40]

169. Cheating on your spouse isn't a "mistake" until you get caught

Did his dick fall out of his pants and into her vagina? I don't think so he purposely put it there. Case closed.

[goddess40]

170. Those that think it's a mistake - How's your girlfriend

and does your wife know yet?

[deaniac21]

171. I think he would make a perfect Surgeon General in the new

administration.

[Freddie Stubbs]

172. The truth is likely sonewhere between those two stark choices

[baldguy]

173. The only ones who can cast judgment on him are Elizabeth & God. And God isn't talking.

[cali]

175. if you're simply talking about his affair, I'd add his adult daughter to the mix.

I'm not interested in judging him for his affair. I judge him for his decision to run while screwing around, and to continue running after the story emerged in the Enquirer in fall of 2007. I judge him for his votes in the Senate and for his activities after leaving that body.