The Edwards Announcement: A NowPublic blog roundup

by Kaitlin | March 23, 2007 at 10:04 am

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Yesterday's announcement on the part of John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth that she has Stage IV incurable cancer and that he will continue to campaign has raised a few eyebrows in Washington and across the country. Of course Rush Limbaugh has an opinion (see below), but so do some other folks.

The most interesting thing about the story may be the supposed leak from Edwards' camp in the hours leading up to the conference that Elizabeth's cancer had returned and that, as a result, Edwards would be leaving the campaign in order to take care of her. When this information proved false, a debate began on whether this was misinformation or disinformation: essentially, whether this was a deliberate step taken by Edwards in order to surprise the public in his press conference, or whether the source in his camp was simply wrong.

Here's a slice of the blog world's view:

Meanwhile, the decision to stay in the race has a particularly 21st century dimension to it.

Once upon a time (like in the last century..) someone with cancer or HIV would consider a normal life almost ended. But that increasingly is old century thinking; today many people with life-threatening diseases decide they will learn to live with them — and live to the fullest, not listening to voices that impose limits on them (which are not always accurate anyway).

Maybe in the end Edwards will have to drop out. Maybe his campaign will be dwarfed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

But no matter what happens Americans just witnessed a couple displaying something that wasn’t cynical exploitation but, rather, something rare — a display of commitment to each other and a genuine profile in courage.

I hope the good will, the niceties, the prayers for John and Elizabeth Edwards continue. I pray they do. But in a political climate where nastiness and name-calling have become epidemic, I have no reason to believe they will. Neither should John and Elizabeth Edwards. It's only a matter of time before the right-wing blogosphere or Rush Limbaugh start throwing around the "C" word, start smearing Edwards for pursuing his presidential dream while his wife has cancer. Accuse him of exploiting her illness for political gain.

With Tom Vilsack deciding to end his campaign early, and John Kerry deciding not to run, John Edwards is one of the only viable, electable Democratic contenders in the race.

I just don't believe Obama or Clinton are very electable when it comes to a General election.

At a press conference earlier the same day, Edwards announced that his wife, Elizabeth, had been told that she has Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, but that the Edwards campaign would continue. Smith incorrectly claimed that Edwards would announce the "suspen[sion]" of his campaign in a March 22 weblog post on Politico.com. Referring to that post, Limbaugh stated that "this business about" Edwards announcing that he will continue his presidential bid "makes me think that the leak that was planted today was purposely wrong to create surprise." Limbaugh reiterated that the inaccurate leak "[m]ay have been done on purpose."