It's official - John Edwards cheated on his wife Elizabeth; two years ago and he told her about it then and the family has been working through it since. Like many here I empathize with the Edwards family and am actually proud of Senator Edwards for being honest, however belatedly. I'm also disgusted that a private drama within a family has become a public spectacle only to satisfy the insatiable appetite for drama of the mainstream corporate media. Beyond that, however, I could care less about the marital troubles of a couple whom I've never met.
I'll admit that I take more than a little joy out of seeing right-wingers caught in compromising sexual situations. And I've often been filled with righteous indignation when one of the so-called "family values" Republicans divorces his wife for a 20-something harlot. And I don't see anything hypocritical about standing behind John and Elizabeth in this instance. This situation is entirely different. For one, John told Elizabeth about his indiscretions in private, and the couple tried to heal and move on together privately. Secondly, John Edwards did nothing illegal such as hiring a prostitute or fueling his trysts with illicit drugs. And finally, John Edwards has not made his reputation by railing against and demonizing those that are guilty of marital infidelity. With all that said, here is a list of reasons we Democrats can take comfort and why any Republican and/or conservative thinking about criticizing the Edwards should SHUT THE HELL UP
Larry Craig
Mark Foley
Ted Haggard
Newt Gingrich
John McCain
Rush Limbaugh
Bill O'Reilly
and all of these people
That list is the result of off-the-top-of-my-head memory and a 12 second Google search; remember, the Republican Party is the party of "family values." So can we please move on to something that will get us out of Iraq, or give me and 50 million other Americans health coverage, or getting Anne Coulter off the air, or ending or dependence on fossil fuels, or bringing a criminal administration to justice? Please? Can we?