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And that is why character counts, in addition to the principles espoused.
What always bothered me about John Edwards (and it went back to 2002 at least) was that he didn't seem to have any real principles, only what was politically expedient. Now, I understand politicians have to be politically expedient--but there has to be something in their prior work or life that assures me that the underlying principles are there. I couldn't point to any of that in Edwards's prior life: he'd done nothing of social significance before coming to the Senate; his voting record there was very poor; he co-sponsored the Iraq War Resolution; he abandoned the small-time college education fund he'd established as soon as he dropped out of the race. There was nothing there to hang on to: just words.
In both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (and John Kerry before them), I saw long histories of working for social causes--so when they would have to be politically expedient, I had some sense of their real core to fall back on. With Edwards, that core didn't exist.
I am very sad this had to come out. But in some strange way, it reassures me, that after all the flak I've taken over the years for being critical of him, for sensing he was an egotist and a phony, I feel sadly vindicated.
Now, let's move onto McCain's unsavory personal character.
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