That DC diary is dead on, at least as far as national candidates is concerned. I like to keep my money local.

Read this diary at Democratic Central — http://www.democraticcentral.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2432

And a new twist on this: Wolfson believes the Edwards’ coverup cost Clinton the nomination

Edwards is making me regret that I ever stuck up for him*, but I’m going to go with it being Hillary Clinton’s staff that cost her the nomination (which, of course, is ultimately her mistake).

*Don’t care about his affair. But stuff like this? Nice.

“These leaders come from the crop that is all of us…”

Of course — but it is supposed the be the cream that rises to the top, not the scum. We are not choosing people randomly to be President, we are trying to pick the best.

“[Did] not Gore lose in 2000 and also did not carry his own state in his own election…by your standard Gore is not a major voice either anymore!!!!”

Al Gore was also in the House of Representatives for four terms, and in the Senate for two — a total of 16 years in Congress. Then he had another eight years as VP. Twenty-four years and eight elections won before losing to Bush. And you can throw in a Nobel Peace Prize, too. Sen. Edwards is a nobody in comparison. (Of course, so are Sens. Clinton and Obama.)

Now really, Alter, Edwards had every right to have the affair and yes it’s none of my business….that is, until he decides to take people’s time and money time, with the knowlegde that when the affair becomes known (and it always will), he will surely spin down to nothing and leave those supporters holding the bag.

That he continually lied is the ethical issue. Here in the 1st District, the Democratic Party got “stung” with a candidate that they said was untruthful with them about his finances….Keith Hummel….it wasn’t an affair….but they said he lied to them.

And of course you are right the povery discourse must go on. And I hope that Edwards continues his work in this area.

I differ with you. Senator Edwards was running to be the most powerful man in the world. Senator Edwards was well aware that he was lying to his supporters, the American public, and the world when he denied the relationship with Ms. Hunter. His affair is not the issue that bothers me. The issue that has brought him down is that he lied to the very people were working to elect him President and who put their faith, trust and money into his campaign.

How can you trust someone to be President who shows so little respect for others, who would betray others for his own betterment? He needs to go away and accept the consequences of his choice to lie to those who trusted him.

It is not the affair for me … that’s between him, his wife, his children and his Maker. Had he truly shown character, he would have 1) not run for office, knowing that it would be used against him or 2) told the truth immediately and see who would support him for his Presidential run. That would have shown character.

That is a follower, not a leader. Being a leader is not sticking one’s finger in the air and going with the wind. Leaders are supposed to be better than the hoi polloi.

“The convention will be without one of its major voices.”

A one-term senator who did not even bother to run for re-election because he was so disliked? A losing VP candidate who could not even carry his own state? Please.

What would have been the harm in mentioning it before he took people’s time and money? If he had spoken up, I would have trusted him; but issues aren’t important if you can’t trust someone.

And then there was the LA Times gag on their bloggers discussing the issue.

I watched the interview last night. My first impression was that Edwards “manned up” and took responsibility, something that is rare. And he did it by himself, without Elizabeth at his side, unlike everyone else who has been caught.

But then I started thinking like sleepless – why in the heck did Edwards, knowing what he had done, pursued the presidential nomination?

The truth was in the interview: he did it because he thought he could get away with it. And that is truly sad and says an awful lot about a man who would be president.

From the AP story printed in the The Post Telegram, Long Beach CA, 8/8/08 (http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_10139855):

“In 2006, Edwards’ political action committee paid $100,000 in a four-month span to a newly formed firm run by Rielle Hunter, who directed the production of just four Web videos, one a mere 2 1/2 minutes long.

Hunter’s daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, was born on Feb. 27, 2008, and no father’s name is given on the birth certificate filed in California.

The payments from Edwards’ One America Committee to Midline Groove Productions LLC started on July 5, 2006, five days after Hunter incorporated the firm in Delaware.

Midline provided “Website/Internet services,” according to reports that Edwards’ PAC filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Midline’s work product consists of four YouTube videos showing Edwards in informal settings as he prepares to make speeches in Storm Lake, Iowa, and Pittsburgh, Pa., prepares for an appearance on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and travels in Uganda in 2006.

Edwards’ PAC paid Midline $100,000 in a four-month span in 2006, and followed that up with two smaller payments totaling $14,461, the last on April 1, 2007.”

Not only did Edwards betray his family, he then went on to betray the trusting people who worked and gave money to him and his campaign, treating them, IMO, as inutile fools.

His behavior is disgusting, unbelievably selfish, and an apology at this point is hollow and worthless.

If John Edwards had been the nominee, the MSM would have blasted this story in late October. They weren’t ignoring it, they were just waiting for the right time. And health care and other important issues would have been shoved to the side again, just because some guy can’t adhere to simple standards of morality.

Now tell me again, please, what was Bill Clinton sulking about last week? I care, Bill, I really care. Because YOU are more important than our country or party or fellow citizens. It’s all about YOU, YOU, YOU. And Hillary, of course, that poor, pitiful victim of Barack Obama’s sexism. And John Edwards, a handsome man whose only real vice is expensive haircuts (because cheating on your wife when she has cancer is your personal business and doesn’t really count). And Elizabeth Edwards, too, who probably only got cancer because of Barack Obama’s sexism.

Please, Barack, do not let us down in this way. Please.

But my issue is that the MSM reports rumors regularly. And this story has been around for a while and the MSM didn’t say much, if anything. Looking at their record over the past year, this isn’t the only story they ignored.

You’re right, of course. But you know what gets me? The fact that the MSM ignored this story.

I’m getting to the point that I don’t know that we can trust the MSM to bring us the unvarnished truth.

I’ve stated this sentiment on other blogs, but why did you say that they ignored it? They asked him about it, and he denied. What would you have expected, Anderson Cooper to come on to 360 and report “The National Enquirer says that…”? There was nothing illegal here, no prostitution or soliciting gay sex in a bathroom. Secret personal affairs and “love childs” are the exclusive domain of the tabloids, or so I thought.

I was a fan of Edwards. My general reaction is somewhat along the lines of Tyler’s, but given that he was (even at the outside) a potential VP/Cabinet pick, it’s (borderline) news. Disappoints, to be sure.

Anyway, I hope we can all save the sanctimony. It’s not an excuse, but Edwards didn’t make a career out of talking about the sanctity of marriage or the usual family values BS.

Why should the MSM report THAT? It’s not news.

I’m getting to the point that I don’t know that we can trust the MSM to bring us the unvarnished truth.