Posted on 03/23/2007 1:17:08 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
John and Elizabeth Edwards stood side-by-side in the North Carolina sunshine to announce that her cancer was back and that his run for the presidency would go forward at full speed. It was a sympathetic tableau that drew an immediate outpouring of well wishes from people of all political persuasions.
"You can cower in the corner and hide or you can be tough and go out there and stand up for what you believe in," Edwards said. His wife said her illness was a hurdle they would surmount together.
That sort of can-do optimism in a grim and unavoidable situation may well bring short-term benefits to a campaign trying to keep up with Democratic heavy-hitters Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. But the longer-term political ramifications of his pursuing the presidency during her health crisis are unknown, and could well hinge on Mrs. Edwards' health.
If Mrs. Edwards is able to campaign at his side with energy and vigor, there could well be a positive reaction to the resolute candidate and his wife, who press forward despite adversity. Millions of Americans themselves have faced cancer or know someone who has, and can identify with their challenge.
"It makes him real," said Democratic strategist Dane Strother. "It makes her real."
Still, Mrs. Edwards' illness injects a new element of uncertainty into the campaign, and political calculations could quickly change should her condition worsen significantly.
Already, there was a foreshadowing of that in critics' blog postings Thursday that questioned whether a presidential campaign is the right place for a man with two small children and a wife with cancer.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews1.iwon.com ...
That's a given.
Hubby and I were talking what if it was us....he said, wouldn't matter what my opinion was, there is no way he would leave me for a stupid campaign. They have small children too.
Heck with that amount of money they could do anything they want, together, til the day she dies.
you can judge him, i won't. not yet, not at this point, within days of hearing a devastating prognosis. should he continue on as she gets sicker and sicker and him flitting around the country leaving her behind, i will feel differently. but it seems to me it is quite possible that they have not fully absorbed this prognosis and made a rational decision. he has a campaign and people working for him and supporting him, he may have felt he owed them an explanation, so yes, he made it public.
We dont know a lot I guess ,we have no idea how much time she has left or the real prognosis, however I agree . With their money they could do pretty much anything they want. I certainly wouldnt be out campaigning.
The whole thing is surreal. For the Breck Girl, when the going gets tough, bail out and just for fun, go run for President. That's a Dem for you!
Your entire post is disgusting.
To say nothing of the children who will suffer terrible trauma as they watch their mother progress thru the stages of the disease. They need a father...not a nanny to comfort and guide them.
What is disgusting is Breck Girl's lack of compassion and his soullessness.
Is it "disgusting" to wish that Elizabeth Edwards recovers?
As much as I sympathize for the Edwards family, that statement above infuriates me.
Ten of thousands, hundreds of thousands, of family members each year give up everything to stay with a terminal spouse or family member. They give up jobs, their own lives, etc., to comfort and care for terminal spouses or or family members. According to Edwards, these people are cowards for not "continuing on". Disgusting.
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