“History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.” - Edward Gibbon, author of “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”
It is rare when I agree with an editorial in Rupert Murdock’s rag--the “New York Post.” But, on Aug. 9, 2008, the tabloid got it right when it ranted about John Edwards’ extramarital affair, while running, in 2006, for president in the Democracy Party primaries. The “Post” roared about the fallen political star: “His entire presidential campaign was based on hypocrisy and deception. Indeed, nearly every word out of the former trial lawyer’s mouth dripped with insincerity and faleshood...Edwards’ campaign...[has] essentially been one big con. He played the role of champion of the poor--while raking in mammoth legal fees and spending on himself and his family like a pampered prince. Who can forget his $400 haircuts last year, paid for by his campaign?”
At the same time Edwards was engaging in his sordid affair with his mistress, U.S. troops were dying daily in Iraq in a preemptive war orchestrated by the real Masters of Deception--the Bush-Cheney Gang. (1) The economy continued to tank, too, as mortgage foreclosures reached Depression Era levels. (2) The lying Edwards not only left his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth down, he left the troops, who are in harm’s way, and the American taxpayers down, too. His belated confession of having become “increasingly egocentric and narcissistic,” however, rings with the truth. In fact, much of the same could be said about many other arrogant politicos, who hang out today in Washington, D.C.
Take House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for example! Let me suggest that she suffers also from a bad case of an over inflated ego. Although, I’m sure the former Baltimorean will insist otherwise. The voters gave the Democrats a mandate in the Nov. 7, 2006 election to end the war. Instead of bringing the conflict to a quick conclusion, as they promised the people, Speaker Pelosi, and her hawkish cronies, allowed it to go on with no end in sight. She also insisted, contrary to her oath of office, “on taking impeachment off the table.” I’ve written before and I will say it again: Pelosi is out of her element! (3) She isn’t up to the job of Speaker and is totally clueless about the importance of the U.S. Constitution in the role of the Republic. While the country has been going down the tube, she’s been writing a book that glorifies her self-importance. If that isn’t an example of an ego running amuck, I don’t know what is.
My fondest hope, and this would be poetic justice, is that the “Peace Mom,” Cindy Sheehan, a splendid activist who is running as an an Independent against Pelosi in the November general election out in San Francisco, CA, will teach her a lesson that she won’t soon forget. Sheehan’s candidacy continues to pick up steam. (4)
Getting back to the “NY Post’s” righteous tirade on Edwards. It continued: “He admitted he hadn’t been fully honest when he denied reports [in the ‘National Enquirer’] of the affair...But why should anyone believe anything this guy says? Want hypocrisy! Consider what this two-timing former senator [a Democrat from North Carolina] had to say about Bill Clinton’s philandering: ‘I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen.’” The “Post’s” rejoinder: “Captain Renault couldn’t have been more ‘shocked’ about gambling in Casablanca...The good news is that Edwards--who once was even being considered as Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate--may be at the end of his political career. We can only hope.”
The Edwards’ scandal reeks with so much sleaze that the “NY Daily News,” owned by the Neocon Morty Zuckerman, was also correct in his harsh editorial on Edwards’ disgusting behavior. It scolded him this way on Aug. 9th: “Here now is a man who went happily philandering as he was about to start a run for the White House--and who gave his sexual partner a job and paid her out of his campaign funds. [Reportedly, $114,000.] And, then had the gall to ask Democrats to to vote for him on the false pretense that he was an honest man--and despite the fact that his candidacy was doomed...So, now Edwards has been reduced to denying that he fathered his partner’s child--and declaring that he is willing to be tested to prove his lack of paternity...Americans, large of heart, forgive many offenders. Flat out liars, not so much.”
Keep in mind that while Edwards was repeatedly indulging himself with his mistress and/or lying to the media and his fellow Democrats with regards to his ultra seedy affair, (it began in 2006, and he stopped lying about it on Aug. 8, 2008, when he publicly admitted his culpability), an estimated 1,955 U.S. troop died in Iraq. Thousands more were seriously wounded in combat and also hundreds of billions of dollars were wasted on the war and on reconstruction.
Indeed, Edwards’ massive ego and rampant narcissism came with a heavy price tag. His duty as a presidential candidate was to raise issues, such as the legality and morality of the Iraq War, and to insist that it be debated in the public arena, and that those responsible for wrongfully launching the war be brought to account. Instead, like the sybarites who helped to bring down the Roman Empire, Edwards was behind closed doors, and in plush hotel suites around the country, engaging in illicit conduct with his paramour. Talk about a betrayal!
Finally, while Edwards was “doing” his kept woman, many elected politicians, like Speaker Pelosi, have been “doing” the American people! Edwards, thankfully, has been found out! When will the people wake up and bring down those others, who have also so egregiously broken the public’s trust?
Notes:
1.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/WarCard/Default.aspx?src=project_home&context=overview&id=945 and
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ 2.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080605/home_foreclosures.html and
http://www.economyincrisis.org/ 3.
https://publish.portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/366982.shtml 4.
http://www.cindyforcongress.org/ ©2008, William Hughes, All Rights Reserved.
William Hughes’ videos can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=liamh2. His latest book, “Saying ‘No’ to the War Party,” is available on Amazon. Email Contact:
liamhughes@comcast.net.
This is another one of those bullshit rumors that can destroy someone's life yet nobody is asking for ANY proof of DNA?
The fact remains that the woman who claims that John Edwards fathered her child has REFUSED to take a DNA paternity test to prove her case!!
Everything else about this story is based upon rumors and innuendo! There is as of yet NO PROOF that John Edwards fathered this child yet the corporate media is having a field day with John Edward's integrity! Hey folks, how about the old fashioned phrase "innocent until proven guilty" or does this not apply to pro-union pro-working class Democrats?
ANY chance that this is another ruse cooked up by desperate Republicans to prevent Edwards as being a possible choice for Obama's VP position? It is very likely that an Obama/Edwards ticket will reduce the policies of John McCain to so much insane gibberish, and perhaps that is the reason for this current drama with the baby mama..
some background on mistress Hunter's refusal to establish DNA links with her child and Edwards;
"The latest is that the former Democrat vice-presidential candidate's ex-mistress, Rielle Hunter, has refused to undergo a paternity test to establish whether she and Edwards were the biological parents of her daughter.
Forty-four-year-old Hunter's lawyer, Robert Gordon, said that his client is not running for public office, and therefore, wishes to maintain her and her daughter's privacy.
Gordon said in a statement. ''Furthermore, Rielle will not participate in DNA testing or any other invasion of her or her daughter's privacy now or in the future.''
On Friday, Edwards, 55, had admitted to having a nine-month-long affair with Hunter in 2006, but denied that he was the father of Hunter's 5-month-old daughter. He offered to take a paternity test to prove he is not the father of Frances Quinn Hunter, who was born in California on February 27 this year.
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004, confessed to ABC News that he had lied repeatedly about the affair with Hunter, then 42, who produced videos for Edwards as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign."
article found @;
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/10933 So let me get this straight, a woman from Edward's past now steps forwards with her five month old daughter to claim that Edwards is the father, yet REFUSES to use a non-invasive and scientifically proven method to establish the DNA link between her daughter and the potential father, and the corporate media misses out on this detail? What is required when seeking child support for most average citizens? Nothing less than a DNA paternity test, yet in the case of John Edward's mistress we suddenly are making exceptions to this standard rule?
Let's demand the corporate media come correct and withdraw any accusations against Edwards until some actual evidence emerges. Following that is an apology to Mr. Edwards from our corpoate media headhunter juntas for slander and character assassination with NO FACTS provided. If the former mistress Ms. Hunter refuses to take a paternity test, than there is no story.
End of story. Period.
There's another interesting fallacy of this 'case' against Edwards, how can an affair that ended in 2006 create a five month old daughter in the eight months of 2008? Don't most human pregnancies last for nine months, or are some people just taking much longer to give birth these days?
Maybe our corporate media anchors need some human sexuality classes to understand the human reproductive system has specific time limits from point of intercourse to point of pregnancy, or is it just more fun to ignore the facts and engage in character assassination attempts with not recourse for the individuals accussed?
BTW, the Republican smear campaigns could be a bit more correct with their facts when engaging in character assassination attempts also! Of course we know the Republican's records with missing WMDs in Iraq never found, torturing senior al-Queda operatives until he lied to "prove" a link between Saddam and Osama Bin Laden, uranium shipments from Niger that also never existed, etc..
Hey, maybe the CIA could kidnap John Edwards and torture him until he just comes out and claims to be the father of the child.
Screw science, facts and evidence, we have torture and false rumors instead!!