Why I support Edwards, IWR vote, apology and all. [View All]

I am not a black/white person. I continuously see shades of gray in nearly everything. I am almost always willing to look for the 'less evil' reasons for human behavior. I truly believe that REAL evil is actually very limited. (Of the Bushies, the one I see as being closest to what I could consider TRULY evil is Dick Cheney. That man creeps the shit out of me) I look at any situation and try to see it in context. I try to evaluate the players and work from my understanding of them. My understanding of Edwards is that he is a good and sincere man. Given that, I have looked at his IWR vote and tried to reconcile it with that understanding.

I will flatly say that I like John Edwards. Not for his hair and only partially for the way he speaks to an audience (Mostly I consider that a plus for getting his message out). I have read about his life and I think I understand why he went into politics. I look at the people around him and the things he has done with his life in the last ten years and I think he is the real thing. I like his wife. She is smart and real. I appreciate the story about his son Wade. I can see so clearly how that could have driven Edwards to what he is doing now. I consider my fifteen year old son to be one of the best people I know. He is honest and politically passionate and his outlook is so damn pure and untainted. At fifteen, he is so convinced that we can all band together and change this world for the better. I can very clearly see how I might do what Edwards is doing now if I had the resources and I lost my son.

When I hear Edwards apology, I hear sincere regret. I hear someone who is saying, "I fucked up. I can't get it back, but this is how I can go forward." And my friends, that is all any of us can do. Forward is the only direction open to us. HOW we go forward is what really counts. I listen to Edwards and I hear an exciting way to go forward. I believe him.

NONE OF US KNOW WHAT IS IN OUR CHOSEN CANDIDATES HEARTS. If we say we do, we are kidding ourselves. We can only follow our instincts on whether they are sincere or not. My instincts tell me Edwards is sincere. Someone else may get a different feeling. We are all just doing the best that we can. I honestly understand how the IWR vote could be a deal breaker for some people. I-GET-IT. And I respect it. What I also honestly think is that holding that view is not any more righteous than being able to forgive that vote. It is just another way of seeing things.