Can you imagine what John Edwards must be thinking at this point? I’m sure it’s something short of “I wish the bitch would sit down and shut up”… but not that short. And what ever possessed him to actually take part in one of Satan’s, oops I meant Saint Elizabeth’s interviews? “Did you think she would leave you?” He was asked. “I didn’t know” he answered. From what I hear the house is big enough that they never have to see one another so I guess that’s’ like leaving without packing your bags.
As a humanist and someone who is incredibly empathetic about fatal disease – I am in awe of Elizabeth’s courage in the face of her limited destiny. Everyone seems to think that her time on earth with her children is limited. Who wouldn’t feel something for her. And as a person concerned about the way women are treated by their spouse or significant other, I think John deserves to be publicly humiliated and yes, maybe flogged at high noon on the corner of K and Connecticut. But as a political strategist, someone who has invested in many candidates and campaigns, I cannot help but think, if her kids mean so much to her and she wants to leave a legacy, why (knowing what she knew—cancer/affair), did she encourage, some say insist, that he continue his Presidential bid. She clearly didn’t give a damn about all the thousands of people who devoted themselves to his campaign. That same some would say, “in the greater scheme of things he kept the poverty issue alive”. Others might suggest that if he dropped out Hillary would have taken his votes and possibly won the election”. And if there is anyone left, they might admit that they were duped by this fast talking, ambulance chasing, millionaire… and don’t forget his wife. And it pisses them off.
Like everyone else, my opinions range from: ‘she has every right to speak her piece’ to, ‘let’s just find out who really is the father of the baby, the blonde bimbo (who got paid in lieu of volunteering), gave birth to after the campaign.’ Whew! Am I being exceedingly harsh? Having had any number of friends whose husbands were less than faithful, I just don’t get where she’s going with this. Is her daughter proud of the way she has revealed the truth – in a best seller with hundreds of interviews. Or would she rather her parents just sat down and talked to her (and the other kids if they are old enough to understand), about the reality and consequences of his abhorrent behavior. “He did it because he could,” doesn’t work as an explanation for his children. And all the wind in her sails crap, in the final paragraph of her book, doesn’t explain why she took this route. Does she not understand that when she drags her husband through the mud her kids wind up with dirty shoes.
So why did she write the book and why is she promoting it 24/7. “It’s for my children?’ She says. Which part is for her children? I’m sure they are well aware of her cancer. They probably know she isn’t going to live to be an old grandmother – unless there’s something else we don’t know. The kids certainly didn’t need the money. Nope, no matter how much time I spend thinking about it, the only conclusion that makes sense is that she felt this was the best way to pay the Senator back for humiliating her. For screwing around while she was struggling to save her own life. And don’t forget, for having the opportunity to have a life after she’s gone. And if that is her motivation (not all the other selfless, courageous, bull-ticky) then I applaud her with a standing ovation. We’re just sayin’… Iris