John Edwards and the Affair

So, John Edwards admits to an extramarital affair. I don’t really object to the affair—after all, they are all adults and should be able to do as they wish. What I do object to is the lying and the negative effects this type of thing has on all political speeches and on the political scene generally. And of course he compounded the lie by repeatedly denying that he had this affair: “It’s completely untrue, it’s ridiculous.” He now denies that he is the father of Rielle Hunter’s baby. We’ll see when he goes on Maury :-). The fact that Edwards paid Hunter $114,000 to produce website documentaries for which she had no experience just adds one more piece of evidence for the popular conclusion of many that all politicians are liars and have only their own best interests in mind, certainly not those of the average citizen. Actually, I think we knew this when he joked about his $400 haircut; it was a clear indication that he was totally out of touch with real people and that he was concerned with one person, John Edwards. On the positive side, there are likely to be some interesting speeches of apology for study in public speaking.