Stupid Quote of the Week

"I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state.
But it has the look of him going off to some foreign, exotic place.
He should be in Myrtle Beach!"
-- stated by ABC political analyst, Cokie Roberts while discussing
Barack Obama's recent vacation

Good Heavens, I used to respect this woman

Following Ms. Roberts' logic I guess Puerto Rico would be off limits because it would be too tropical and has too much of a foreign flavor.

I guess someplace like Maine, which bears no demographic resemblance to 99% of the nation, would be a more appropriate location.

Readers, the next time that you are trying to explain covert racism to a person, you can use this quote as a frame of reference.

Ok, John Edwards Had An Affair

Gee, a woman can't take a week or two to attend to domestic affairs ( no pun intended) without one of her heroes crashing and burning!

Now it is quite obvious to even the wall that a few years ago John Edwards had a relationship with Reille Hunter, so you don't need me to rehash the story here. However, since on numerous occasions I've publicly expressed my support for John Edwards I guess I have to answer a few questions now.

First, do I condone his infidelity?

- Of course not


Second, do I have empathy for Elizabeth Edwards?

- You better believe it.


Third, do I think that this is the end of John Edwards' political career?

- Well, if you gauge this indiscretion against those of 90% of the politicians in Louisiana or Washington, DC then John's future looks great. LOL But seriously, only time will tell.

However, I hope that politics is the last thing on John's mind right now. He needs a long hiatus and a lot of quality time with his family.


Fourth, Do I view John Edwards, in his capacity as a political figure, any differently than I did six months ago?

- NO.

Why?

- Because I never thought that John was a "perfect" man. I just thought that he had many of the qualities that I like in a political leader. I still think that he is a brilliant attorney with a real passion for helping the most vulnerable members of our society.

I long ago abandoned the notion that political figures are "better" persons than the rest of us. Sadly politicians ( and religious leaders) are just human beings who, like the rest of us, sometimes do really STUPID things but unlike the rest of us, have a gift for doing a job most of us don't want or aren't qualifed to do.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. If my view of leaders hung on an illusion of perfection then I probably wouldn't respect anyone other than Jesus Christ. I certainly would have to scratch FDR, JFK, RFK, MLK and just about everyone I know personally off of my list.

Am I disappointed in John Edwards? SURE. I'm disappointed in a lot of politicians these days but that's a topic for my next post.