So the media is all a-twitter over John Edwards admission that he had an affair.
John Edwards is not the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
John Edwards is not the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
John Edwards is no longer a Senator.
John Edwards is not a Bible-thumping anti-sex moralizer.
So why do we care about whether or not he had an affair, and will the Republicans try to gain some advantage because of this?
We care, I guess, because we love gossip, especially about sex and famous people and especially if it involves infidelity. Otherwise, how could the tabloids stay in business?
We care because this is only the latest in a long string of sex scandals involving both Republicans and Democrats and we tend to keep score to see which side is more depraved.
But most of us really don't care all that much. It is the media that cares. It's a juicy story involving infidelity, lies, a wife with terminal cancer, and a one time vice presidential candidate. And it appeals to the voyeuristic instincts in too many of us.
I don't think Republicans will touch it - not if they know what's good for them. John Edwards is not Barack Obama, nor his veep pick so it has nothing to do with Obama, as much as the media hopes it does. On the other hand, John McCain had an affair with his current wife while still married to his first wife. He really doesn't want that brought up for the evangelical base to digest, does he?
As for the opinion of this blogger who is a long time married woman: John Edwards deserves whatever his wife chooses to dish out to him. If she chooses to forgive him and move on, taking into account their long married history with its tragedies and triumphs, that is between them. It is not the business of the National Enquirer, the mainstream or cable media, or any of us.
Politically, because Edwards has neither political power nor following, it is really a story with no significance. Personally, for the family, it is one more tragedy, a tragedy they certainly don't need. Elizabeth Edwards must wonder if she is cursed.
Upon hearing the story today, I thought of one of my favorite books: The Once and Future King, by T.H. White. It is the story upon which the play Camelot is based, the story of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot, a story of love and betrayal, infidelity and the downfall of a king. The legend, of course, goes back to the Middle Ages, and reminds us that kings and queens often acted in self-destructive ways, even when they tried mightily not to. And politicians are no different.
We are a fallible species. We have animal instincts and complicated psyches and sometimes we do things we thought we would never do, and hurt people we never intended to hurt. And we can't always explain why.
But the Edwards affair is not about a king's infidelity and the loss of a kingdom. It is simply the stuff of tabloids. So let's wish the Edwards family well, and move on. We have far more important things to deal with.
