From Rose Mary's Stretch to Larry's Wide Stance: Oh the Lame Excuses They Make

A great story in Politico about politicians and the lame stories they tell to cover their rear ends. Former Democratic Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards is just the latest in a string of elected officials caught with their hands in the cookie jar or their pants down that spin incredulous tales in an effort to save their vaunted position, their reputation, or both. Scandal is certainly not a new phenomenon, as evidenced by William Blount's expulsion from the U.S. Senate in 1797; it's just that the information is easier to obtain these days and makes for repeated time on TV and stories on the Internet with the 24 hour news cycle.

What always amazes me is the incapacity of politicos to understand that the American public is quite forgiving, particularly if you confess your sins in a heartfelt, convincing manner. Of course, that depends on the sin, some of which are beyond public absolution.

So...if the kid is yours, Mr. Edwards, you might as well fess up now because it will come out sooner rather than later. Unlike in 1797, there are such things as paternity tests that will prove it one way or the other.

I leave you with this little gem from then-Senator John Edwards about President Bill Clinton at the height of the Monica Lewinsky debacle: "I think this President has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen." Gee, I guess ten years later that quote could apply to the quoted. What was that saying I remember about glass houses???