As Jello Biafra used to say, “We’ve got bigger problems now.”

Why? Because if this is allowed to die a quiet death, 5 or 10 years from now, we’ll have his pretty puss, with a crocodile tear for his dear, departed wife running down it, back on the tube, running for Pres, or Senator, where he can “put it to the man” for the great unwashed.

“No enemies on the left.”

That’s why it’s a story, Radley. It’s about the media.

It’s one thing if a spouse gets blindsided about an affair (some do), or isn’t a central theme of a campaign (like, say, almost all of them). But Elizabeth Edwards knew, and was, respectively. Either way, she gets no sympathy for being found out. She was willing to lie all the way to her grave to support her sham of a husband (and I mean that in both senses.) Remind me what part of that is so admirable and virtuous that her husband should be spared from shame?

Is there any doubt that the Republicans would’ve been handed another election if Edwards had been the nominee?

“…goad the West into a global war”??? What? With *whom*?

You very badly misunderstand what Russia is up to: They’ve attacked Georgia precisely because they’re certain that the US, NATO and the UN are going to sit on their asses and do nothing.

Putin is a fascist, through and through, and intends to restore Russia to its presumed Soviet glory. Georgia is a test of world resolve.

If Georgia is the Sudetenland, then the Ukraine is Poland — and we know Putin wants it badly.

Kaus’s point was the hypocrisy of the media, who pretended to be disgusted by the story until Edwards confessed, at which point it somehow became newsworthy again.

And yes, I do think that the more we know about the lies and hypocrisy of those who seek power over our lives the better place the world becomes. Doesn’t Radley?

Well, that’s up to you. You should probably consult multiple sources. Is that a suitably libertarian answer? Damn, next time I’ll keep my FOX jokes to myself.

BTW, I am not a McCain fan, by any stretch. But, there is so much legitimate stuff to tear him to pieces on, why take the low road?

It also says something about how power-hungry this narcissist is. He already had a complete cover-up operation going. He bullied his staffers into lying. He was operating a mid-2004 level Bush cover-up and he wasn’t even Pres yet!

Even now, he knows that some pols have come back from affairs, but none from illegitimate children, so that’s as far as he’s admitted to. Creepy, scary dude.

You know how and why this is a story. What a stupid question. The person humiliating and embarrassing a dying woman is John Edwards, no one else. While it’s nice you don’t feel character should be considered for public office, others do. If this had happened 20 years ago, it’s a non story. Having said all that, the real story would be the media sitting on this for all this time. Now it’s overkill. Absolutely what is happening in Georgia is more important than this. I see no reason why, once reported, the media can’t move on to more relevant stuff.

If John Edwards is a narcissist, then lets compare this to the DSM psychiatric criteria for his personality disorder:

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-R), the diagnostic classification system used in the United States, as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.”

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following[1]:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is “special” and unique
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement
6. is interpersonally exploitative
7. lacks empathy
8. is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

So, let John Edwards call himself a narcissist. Obviously, someone has told him this in the past. So, if you voted for Edwards, then you have to ask yourself why you would put the United States in the hands of such a person?

Of course, if John Edwards was smart, he’d have claimed that Rielle was simply a surrogate holding his baby (from artificial insemination). Elizabeth had full knowledge and expected the child to be turned over, but John was meeting with Rielle after she reconsidered. This explanation even covers the money payments. Well, seems like John really ain’t too bright!! Just a poor liar and a cheat!

Anyway, FNC isn’t particularly different in this regard than any other 24 cable news channel. It’s the middle of a typical, slow-domestic-news Summer and none of them want to spend more than five minutes on any foreign story where Americans aren’t dying.

BTW, I happen to like Edwards as little as little as anyone. He’s an economic illiterate (nothing rare about that among presidential candidates) and he is the most openly classist (“Two Americas”) goon of any big media candidate who ran. That class warfare easily hurts the poorer people it panders to as much as the wealthier people it demonizes.