Edwards Exploited Son's Death, Not Coulter

[Def Conservative]

For those of you attacking Ann Coulter for bringing up John Edwards' son's death, some perspective:

From Front Page News Edwards' public success spotlights son's death

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Used it again at the end of 2003 in his own piece, Four Trials

Scroll down to the bottom.

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Running for his son: Teen's death changed Edwards' life

Here is the Edwards press machine making it an issue in 2004, acting as if they are finally opening up about it...but they were on record as talking about it in 2001....

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Here again, in 2005, Edwards pretends he's finally opening up about his son's death in a Chicago Tribune article:

Throughout his campaign for president and then vice president in 2004, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina made it clear that the death of his teenage son in a car accident was off-limits, not for discussion in a political context.

But now his wife, Elizabeth, has sent an e-mail to supporters voicing a connection she shares with Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq. As Sheehan was camped near President Bush's Texas ranch, protesting the war, Edwards called on her own family's backers to support Sheehan.

And, in a departure from a campaign-trail silence that the Edwardses kept about the death of their 16-year-old son, Wade, Elizabeth Edwards noted that Sheehan's son, Casey, 24, died in Iraq eight years to the day after her own son.

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Here the Edwards are again in 2006, using it with Oprah and her dimwitted audience:

Book saves memory of son, Edwards tells Oprah ******************* Here's John again, finally opening up about his son's death (HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU FINALLY OPEN UP!?!?!?)

Edwards Opens Up About Son He Lost

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The Edwards campaign site loves to bring it up also:

A Tribute To Wade Edwards

Here again,The Story I Am

Here, the Edwards' blog suggest the way to honor their dead son is to vote for John Edwards: Here again,Getting Young People To Vote

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Its funny how Wade Edwards manages to make it into the political arena whenever John Edwards is running for something....

[Hegemony Cricket]

Hmmm. Almost like a “Weekend at Bernie’s” kind of thing...

[dfwgator]

And now Edwards is exploiting his wife’s cancer.

[tioga]

Edwards will sell anything for power, Ann comments on it.

[takeemout]

Exactly! And then when Coulter says hey, John Edwards you exploited your sons death, Elizabeth Edwards confronts Ann and says “how dare you say what really happened?” This wasn’t a “please stop the attacks” request it was a “stop pointing out the Edwards campaign’s exploits to play to the American people’s sympathies” request.

[Max7]

Ann Coulter to be interviewed today, 6/27, at 9:30 am (PDT)by Dennis Prager on KRLA 870 AM radio. www.krla870.com for streaming. Otherwise, go to the Dennis Prager Show website for radio station near you. FYI

[When do we get liberated?]

That’s O.K. I faked cancer to get readmitted to UMASS in ‘94. Guess I am going to hell for that one....lol

[tioga]

Ann was just on Fox. I see her all the time. I was fortunate to see her in person once, she was very funny.

[Max7]

I am wrong. Dennis is interviewing Alan Colmes from Hannity & Colmes on his radio program in a couple minutes. My bad. I misunderstood him. Sorry ‘bout that.

[Tzimisce]

For later.

[marron]

If someone who lost a relative in 9/11 talks about supporting the Iraq war, many people cheer "someone who gets it." If someone who lost a relative in 9/11 talks about opposing the Iraq war they are "exploiting" their tragedy. The double standard is transparent.

There is a fine line between acknowledging a life-changing event and capitalizing on a life-changing event.

Part of the problem comes from the very nature of journalism and journalists. There are thousands of them out there, all of them looking for an interesting hook to hang their column on, and inevitably they hit upon the easiest and most obvious ones. So you make a comment or an admission that makes good copy, and suddenly there are thousands of column inches devoted to it. The journalists herd mentality then kicks in, accentuating the problem. Journalists at future press conferences vie to be the first to ask you about it, hoping to get some reaction other than the one everyone else got, maybe if they word it just so, and your eyes well up, it'll make a great photo to go with the column.

There are politicians who exploit intimate parts of their lives for political gain. Sometimes its legitimate to do so, sometimes it crosses the line. But journalists always do that, and they usually do it badly and they can't help copying one another. And they wouldn't know where the line was if it was painted in highway-department-orange.

[usnavycdr]

I watched the whole thing and this was an intentional sucker-punch by Mathews to catch Coulter off guard. Coulter exposed the Edwards machine for what it is - a hypocritical money maker to advance a liberal agenda. Sure it is tragic to lose a child. BUT, why is Edwards confrontng Coulter on national TV? For the PUBLICITY.

[BuffaloJack]

I watched the interview. Matthews set her up. Edwards’ wife and Matthews double teamed her and Ann still came out the winner.

[Marysecretary]

Democrats have absolutely NO class.

[Marysecretary]

Democrats have absolutely NO class.

[George W. Bush]

Shrum's recent book documents Kerry telling Shrum he made a bad pick with Edwards as VP when Edwards tearfully recounted his sad story about young Wade tearfully and saying he had never told anyone that before.

Kerry mentioned that it was the second time Edwards wept over it while swearing he'd never ever told anyone about crawling up on the mortician's table to hug his dead son.

With Edwards, it's all a big lie. It's all just a trial lawyer playing to a moron jury because John Edwards is a one-trick pony and gives honest ambulance-chasers a bad name.

[SamuraiScot]

Coulter’s remark about him displaying an “Ask Me About My Son” bumper sticker on his car

I hadn't heard that one. The house resounded in hoots of (my) laughter when I read it. Dang, that gal's got that slip-and-fall sheister pegged.

Sorry you would disagree, but thanks for the post anyway.

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

Ok, maybe I was wrong. Maybe Edwards would think nothing of killing one of his own children if it could make him president (nothing is impossible with the man, his greed for wealth and power surpasses everything else).

But what bothers me is when we stoop to their level to make the point.

[Born to Conserve]

“. . . I can’t even watch her on a split screen debate anymore because she just huffs and rolls her eyes the entire time. . . “

Which means you were paying attention to her instead of her opponent. Feel silly?

[Aegedius]

Here is the column with comments about Wade Edwards and Charlie Dean..

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter112003.asp

[CharlesWayneCT]

Her comment in an article in 2003 about all the democrats exploiting family tragedies for votes was that if Edwards wanted to claim credit for not bringing up his son’s death as a campaign tactic, he should probably put away the “Ask me about my son’s death” bumper stickers.

She didn’t say he had a bumper sticker on his car saying “ask me about my dead son”.

She noted that he wore his son’s “outward bound” pin on his shirt. People would ask him “what’s that pin”, and he would probably say “It’s a reminder about my son, who is dead”.

If you wear a pin of your dead son’s, isn’t that like having a bumper sticker saying “ask me about my dead son”?