Voters Can Be Less Forgiving

Brambleton wrote:

"Blurring accountability by comparing one person's lies with another is akin to dismissing someone who commits armed robbery because someone else killed someone."

Hmm? How do you square that statement with the lies told by Yahweh in the OT and those told by Jesus in the NT? You can start with the numerous broken promises of each.

I await your answer.

Garyd writes:

"Um Mr. Mark if a man's own wife can't trust him on what basis do you believe you a perfect stranger can."

So, you won't be voting for the admitted adulterer, John McCain? Fair enough.

"By the way the economy was doing just fine til we put the Democrats back in control of congress."

Are you serious?

I hope you enjoy the 8 years of Obama's presidency.

Mr. Mark,

This is where we need to hold our predominantly liberal college and university professors accountable by instructing them that TRUTH is NOT relative. Blurring accountability by comparing one person's lies with another is akin to dismissing someone who commits armed robbery because someone else killed someone.

Daniel,

I'm not sure I understand your point. If Mr. Edwards did not deem personal questions to be appropriate, then the correct course of action would be to state as much. He has absolutely no excuse for repeatedly lying about the subject. Furthermore, to continue to lie during his "confession" is even more dumbfounding.

Anon,

I agree that holding a politician to standards which we ourselves struggle with might be a little unfair. But the primary issue in this case is not the affair, it is the repeated and systemic lying that Mr. Edwards undertook to cover it up. We should expect, and demand, that our politicians perform their duties with the utmost integrity.

What of John McCain's history in this same venue?

Is it simply too high a hurdle to wish for our politicians (either gender) to not be serial adulterers, amongst other transgressions?

If wishes were fishes, we'd all have a fry, I suppose.

"At what point does a person of faith cease to forgive? At what point does forgiveness become destructive?"

This statement just goes to show how silly the moderators of this blog can be. They confuse forgiveness with being rational or perhaps with judgment. A rational person can forgive the rapist but insist that that person be put behind bars so that they don't harm others.

Forgiveness is never, ever destructive! And rendering judgement along with punishment that fits the crime is also never, ever destructive.

Letting a killer run wild in your neighborhood is just plain stupid even if you have forgiven him for the murder he committed. And perhaps staying married to John Edwards is destructive but we really don't know what is going on behind those closed doors at the Edwards mansion, do we?

Um Mr. Mark if a man's own wife can't trust him on what basis do you believe you a perfect stranger can.

By the way the economy was doing just fine til we put the Democrats back in control of congress.

Yes, Edwards is a troubled soul. On the other hand, McCain has engaged in similar escapades and much worse over the course of his political career and seems to sleep just fine - not a trace of guilt do we find seeping from the political pores of Teflon John.

Perhaps a prayer or two on his behalf would be in order - in hopes that he will come to his senses and realize that a man of his compromized character has no place in a Presidential race.

Like Edwards, he's a fallen man that's jeopardizing the very fate of a nation by his own denial of possessing such a profoundly flawed character.

We can only hope he withdraws before the voters hand him his head on a platter.

Brambleton

Why don't you read what Willis Elliott has to say about this problem of lying in reply to inappropriate questions. I think he has a much better attitude on this matter than you do.

I guess our greatest fear is that a politician who lies about adultery might lie about the reasons to go to war, or might take actions to destroy our economy while saying he was building it up, or might take an oath to defend the Constitution while submitting said "just a piece of paper" to the shredder by nullifying the Fourth Amendment and instituting an unConstitutional fantasy based initiative, among myriad other "compassionate conservative" actions.

Such a person might also appoint Attorney Generals who would promise to uphold the law (while being grilled by the Senate) only to later thumb their nose at the law when the question of prosecuting people who worked at the discretion of said president broke the law.

Yep, gotta watch out for those who lie about adultery. That's just the WORST lie out there.

Cal,

You are spot on. Forgiveness lies with those who were both directly and indirectly affected by Mr. Edwards' actions.

What's most troubling to me is his continued lying about the entire ordeal. Even in his admission, he states that he was "99%" truthful in his past remarks. He had an affair and repeatedly denied it. Where exactly is the 99% of truthfulness that he's claiming? Did he not learn anything from President Clinton and his "what exactly do you mean by sex?" story?

Either Edwards is in denial or he's an habitual liar. Either way, it's a sad story.