Saturday, August 09, 2008

When the Personal Is Just Sleazy

It's always hard to get our lessons from "The National Enquirer." But their dogged reporting seems to be really good at bringing down good liberal men -- Gary Hart's "monkey business," Bill Clinton's Gennifer Flowers imbroglio, and now John Edwards with his outed affair. For John Edwards, whose political career had been careening downwards since he helped Kerry lose the presidency in '04, this just seems a tawdry footnote to a candidate who came across to me as rather a too-smooth operator. 

Sure, lots of people have affairs, and to judge his is an all-too American -- and rather boring -- pursuit. It really doesn't help his case that the guy presented himself as a family man and a self-less (sort of) hero continuing on with his losing presidential bid by the side of his wife who is struggling with her battle with cancer. 

But when the story of their  lives becomes the blueprint for which the American people get asked to vote on, then, well, it is fair game -- in an unfair, "National Enquirer" world.


No comments: