Clock is ticking for John Edwards
Something nasty this way comes to loom over the Democratic national convention, threatening to distract attention from Barack Obama's glorious nomination moment.
It's John Edwards and the potential mistress-love-child scandal following him around like a little black cloud...National Enquirer stories have alleged he had an affair with a campaign worker and fathered her baby.
The latest National Enquirer story has a fuzzy picture of a guy who could be Edwards holding a baby. What politician hasn't been asked to hold a baby?
Why are there are no photographs of the person that the presidential candidate was supposedly there to see?
It very well could be that the story is true, but the Enquirer's photo doesn't convince me.
Looks like as rapacious as our media is these days, looking for breaking news and ratings, if there was anything concrete here it would have exploded all over the place by now. Righties can accuse the media of bias all they want, but if they actually had a verifiable story they'd run it even if it trashed Mother Teresa.
On the other hand, we Democrats have buried our heads in the sand about this story...not wanting to believe it, not making noise about "fair play" to get to the bottom of it, to get to the facts.
We sit back and say it's only a tabloid story told by anonymous sources. It is one thing to scrutinize its sources...quite another to ignore it totally when there is apparently plenty of "smoke."
If it's true some will say he was only trying to fulfill lonely human needs. But I say it makes him look like such a heel, his wife Elizabeth dying from cancer and all. Remember how we Dems tarred and feathered philanderer Newt Gingrich for his tawdry affair...except John hasn't delivered divorce papers to his sick wife in the hospital. As far as we know...
Edwards was slated to have a prominent role as a speaker at the convention but now Democrats worry about letting him appear on stage. If they deny him a role at the convention, how will the mainstream media handle it?
If he appears at the convention without resolving this story it will be the elephant in the room ...it will drive news media coverage of the alleged affair to explode.
Edwards needs to clear up this story in short order; if it's not true, he has to issue a stronger denial, threaten to sue, offer to take a paternity test, etc., etc. Why hasn't he? When stories like this are lies, the quicker you jump on them, the faster they die.
We really shouldn't give a hoot about people's private lives...unless they are powerful politicians who can be taken down by scandal and ruin a lot of hard work.
What I do care for very much is John Edwards' vision...his ideas to help the poor and keep the middle class from slipping any lower into poverty. A vision which is lost now no matter what happens. He's tainted if he keeps ignoring these charges.
I voted in the primary for this guy, he was my presidential choice. He has been our strongest voice for the middle class and combating poverty. He was a viable choice for Obama's VP, as well as a cabinet post and maybe even Attorney General.
IF the story is true -- and I'm not fully convinced yet -- I would be appalled that Edwards ran for, or continued running for, president knowing this might come out. IMAGINE if he had won the nomination and this had blown up while he was the nominee. He would've placed the country at great risk for a Republican win!
Ah well...it will not be the first time a politician broke my heart...
Between Hillary on the war path and Edwards' alleged love child lurking in the shadows...it's gonna be one helluva hot time in Denver.
