I was wrong. 91% Wrong. – UPDATED
Posted By JM Bell on August 8, 2008
When I was filling in for Ethan over on the Nightside Project, we had a weird hour. We were told to run with a story out of the National Enquirer, via the Drudge Report, about a high-speed foot chase between John Edwards and a NE “reporter”. It concerned an Edwards affair and a love child.
I was pretty unhappy about it.
Turns out that while the bulk of the N.E. story was insane, the theme was not. Turns out Edwards had an affair. He just fessed up to the affair.
He says no love child, though.
AN ASIDE – Just an affair between adults. Yes, he lied about about it, and I’m pretty disappointed with him. I do not doubt, however, that even in the absence of public toilets, underage minors, gay porn star drug deals, Jack Abramoff and the like, the GOP is going to go apeshit about this, and maintain a deaf ear to it’s own membership’s odd extra-marital goings-on.
So, I was wrong in standing up for Edwards, but, I believe that I was totally right in ignoring the National Enquirer take on the story. That turned out to be 89% fiction and/or exaggeration. Except the allegation of an affair (and I guess we’ll have to see about the love child part, but, taking a paternity test tells me he’s pretty confident about it not being his kid).
The “X-Files rule” applies to all politicians: Trust no one.
I supported Senator Edwards after Bill Richardson dropped out of the race, but only on the basis of the issues– principally Iraq withdrawal. But Edwards did vote to authorize Bush to invade Iraq, which meant he couldn’t be trusted any more than any other candidate.
It’s hard to support someone you don’t trust, but what are the choices?
Sadly, Edwards’ non-denial of this story back in October rang false. When a politician says a charge is “absurd” but does not explicitly deny it, look out!