Edwards Affair Announcement and NYT Prewriting
John Edwards slept with that lady after all. Whatever, as far as I’m concerned, but it’ll probably end his career. His whole rep is based on being a man of the people, a guy who tells it like it is.
And he actively lied about the affair when asked earlier this year.
So that’s not going to go well. Plus, everyone loves Elizabeth Edwards and she has cancer and… yeah, just not good for him.
To his credit he did release this statement after his interview with Bob Woodward:
It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic.
Ouch.
What I love about this story, however, is the lack of quotes for the story the NYT wanted to write:
The revelations brought swift reaction from those who know Mr. Edwards.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the Edwards family today and that’s all I’ve got to say,” Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said during an event for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in Nevada today.
Hell yeah, Hillz!
Wait, what?
Clinton’s ’swift reaction’ was more or less ‘no comment’. Zing!
Elizabeth Edwards asked the media to lay off:
“The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown,” she wrote. “I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John’s conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time.”
Man, Elizabeth Edwards is going to be wildly popular - I’m sure she’s thrilled.
Seriously though, everyone hated Clinton. And then her philandering husband cheated on her, and everyone was all, ‘Awwww, Hil!’. Imagine the outpouring of goodwill to a woman everyone loves during her golden boy husband’s fall from grace.
Anyway, hopefully someone gives the NYT a juicer comment than Clinton. Hate to waste a good turn of phrase like, ‘brought swift reaction’. Good luck, guys.
Edwards Admits to Extramarital Affair [NYT Caucus Blog]
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August 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Didn’t Edwards’ political career end back in February?
I know people always say that, but he’s a former one-term senator and twice-failed presidential candidate: Who cares? Good luck remembering who he was in 25 years.
Oh yeah, and he was a losing vice-presidential nominee. There’s his place in history, right up there with John W. Kern
August 9th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Jesus, Kern had a life steeped in defeat. Still a more impressive resume than many of us are likely to garner.
But maybe Edwards just blew his shot at winning the William Jennings Bryan pity historical memory. If he doesn’t get a third shot at losing the presidency, how will we remember that he’s the son of a mill worker?
Realistically, though, there might have been a spot for him in an Obama Administration - maybe in health or as AG. That’s all over, though. His squeaky-clean image is gone, and thus his biggest selling point.
August 15th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Well he could probably still get a post, but most likely not VP. You forget that our public forgives infidelity in the long run as long as it’s gender correct. It’s also interesting that a ‘man of the people’ is ruined for cheating when the people cheat.