Friday, March 23, 2007
Elizabeth Edwards
Two quick points on Thursday's revelation that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has returned.
First, it is silly to attack or praise John Edwards for his decision to continue his campaign for the presidency. People deal with the shock and challenge of cancer in their family in many different ways, and there is nothing either unusual or suspect about continuing one's life's work in its presence. It is absurd to praise John Edwards for having "courage" -- what choice does he have? -- and it is equally asinine to criticize him for continuing his campaign. So if you're doing either of those things, stop.
Second, I was interested to hear Geraldine Ferraro on Hannity & Colmes this evening. As I understood it, she has a similar condition and is doing quite well with a fairly low stress course of chemotherapy. Ferraro made a point of saying that in recent years enormous progress had been made in the development of drugs to slow the spread of cancer in bone. Assuming that Ferraro is correct about that, one would think that the evil pharmaceutical industry gets the credit. Will the harsh reality of his wife's condition motivate John Edwards to advocate healthcare policies that avoid reducing the rate of return on drug discovery and development?
6 Comments:
By 
SR, at
Fri Mar 23, 12:49:00 AM:
It has been know for decades that stressful life events such as family illness, moving, can influence the progress or incidence of disease processes. Having a spouse running for President of the United States cewrtainly qualifies as such a stressor. Take a break, John. Your country certainly needs you less at this moment than does your family.
By 
, at
Fri Mar 23, 01:37:00 AM:
I don't have that much of a problem with his continuing the campaign. (well, a little, but as you pointed out, that's his business).
What I do find to be transparent is his need to hold a press conference to announce that nothing is changing.
The news would have come out in due time, and plenty of reporters would have asked him about his campaign plans, and he could have then informed them that his bid for the presidency would continue.
The press conference was clearly nothing more than sympathy pandering.
By Country Squire, at
Fri Mar 23, 06:53:00 AM:
Thank you for telling people to stop if they are being critical. Mr. Edwards choice would not be mine, but he is free to do as he sees fit. I have also been heartened by the number of bloggers on the right side of the blogosphere that are sending their best wishes for a speedy recovery to Mrs. Edwards. It shows a great deal more class than some of our liberal/radical opponents ever exhibit.
By , at
Fri Mar 23, 07:57:00 AM:
Well, no feeling person wishes ill will upon Mrs. Edwards, but my feeling initially was "who cares?". Many people deal with this every day.
In my opinion, Edwards has as much chance at the WH as Al Sharpton, so I saw this as a cheap opportunity to gain media attention, and possibly jumpstart his ailing campaign. If that's so, then it's a damned ugly thing to do to your wife.
I wish Mrs. Edwards well, but think her husband a lightweight ambulance chaser.
As for John's "courage" ... it's more political ambition than anything else.
By , at
Fri Mar 23, 10:39:00 AM:
I have no particular affection for John Edwards, but I have also had the heartbreak of losing more than one close person to me due to cancer.
I think the news conference was a good thing in that it cleared the air about his personal life, so that there were no lingering questions.
Substance still matters, so John Edwards candidacy is ultimately based on his merits, not on sympathy for his ailing wife. She believes in him and wants him to continue. Good for her, she is a brave lady.
Still, I wish nothing but the best for Mrs. Edwards and her family. She is still relatively young, and is feeling the cold wind of mortality blowing through her soul. That it's for sure we will all die, we all hope for three score and ten, at least.
-David
By , at
Fri Mar 23, 12:03:00 PM:
I think I understand the possible reasons to hold a press-conference. All those people carping about it never been in the presidential campaign themselves (me neither, but I try to imagine how it must be). Edwardses run an operation, they have numerous advisors, supporters, sponsors, volunteers etc.
Excellent point whether he will recognize and aknowledge the advancements in the pharmaceutical industry. That would be a perfect reason to call another press-conference...
