The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Elizabeth Edwards and the 'Present Voyerism'

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The Spectacle Blog

Elizabeth Edwards and the 'Present Voyerism'

By Philip Klein on 8.12.08 @ 1:57PM

I have a confession to make. I've always found Elizabeth Edwards to be really annoying, but have never wanted to say so, because, frankly, I'm too much of a wuss to attack somebody who has cancer. There was always something really weird about how utterly obsessed she was with running for First Lady -- and clearly rivaled Bill Clinton when it came to her presence on the campaign trail on behalf of her spouse. This was particularly odd to me given her condition. I would think that somebody with a terminal illness would rather spend her limited time out of the public eye, with her children, than barnstorming Iowa and posting messages on DailyKos. Now that we know Elizabeth had knowledge of John's affair the whole time, it adds a whole other dimension.

In the wake of John Edwards' appearance on "Nightline," Ruth Marcus raises some questions about Elizabeth:

In a posting on Daily Kos, Elizabeth Edwards pleaded for an end to "the present voyeurism." No one wants to add to Elizabeth Edwards's misery. She's been dealt a terrible handâ€¦.

In fact, if she wanted to avoid "the present voyeurism," what was she thinking when she supported his running? She knew about his affair, she knew that everything about a presidential candidate's life is at risk of exposure, and she encouraged him? If she cared about shielding her family from this terrible intrusion, what did she think was going to happen if he won the nomination -- or the presidency?