Public Sex, Part II - John Edwards (UPDATE)

I think the thing I am most frustrated about concerning the revelations that John Edwards had an extra-marital affair is this - this story, which is really quite meaningless (apart from the personal hurt and betrayal former Sen. Edwards' wife must feel), has managed to push the war in the Caucusus Mountains off the radar screen. Right now, I really want to know what the hell is going on between Georgia, its two break-away provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Russia. The last time I checked, Georgia had applied for NATO membership. If it has it, this could be another Franz Ferdinand moment*. If not, it might be anyway, because we have a trigger-happy bunch of ignorant yahoos in power who aren't content with screwing up two wars, and are constantly looking for a third. Usually, the intended target is Iran, but, hey, why not invade Russia and vindicate Ronald Reagan's dream as well?

Back to John Edwards.

Big deal. He isn't a closeted gay man, he isn't hiring prostitutes, he isn't a pedophile, and he isn't implicating his lady friend in the rape of her child. These Democrats just don't know how to do it up right, do they? No flare. No imagination.

*Franz Ferdinand was the son of the Ausro-Hungarian Emperor whose assassination by Serbian terrorists was the spark that ignited World War I. In itself, the event really meant little. It was the intricate web of alliances and secret defense protocols that led, in the end, to the slaughter of a generation.

UPDATE: Josh Marshall offers a different perspective, one which I think is relevant to the extent that it considers one possible outcome. In an alternate universe. Where Edwards won the nomination.

Edwards made a strong run for the presidency knowing full well that he was carrying on an affair, at least in the early stages of the campaign, which could come to light in the midst of the general election and fatally damage all Democrats' hopes for regaining the presidency. Just think how fun this weekend would be if John Edwards had won the nomination. Indeed, it seems clear that the aftermath of the affair was such that the chances of its coming to light were substantial. It's a level of recklessness and selfishness that I probably shouldn't but still do find shocking.