The Politician

Politics have always fascinated me. In this generation, people in politics have become more like celebrities, than world leaders. Every piece of their life is opened to public scrutiny.

When John Edwards ran for president in 2004, I was drawn him. I felt he was charismatic, had strong principles and would make a fine leader. When John Kerry was selected as the Democratic candidate, I was disappointed.

I am not into judging other people’s life choices, so when things blew up surrounding John Edwards and his affair I was slightly annoyed. I thought the press was making a big deal out of an affair (a la Bill Clinton). As more was revealed, my impression of John Edwards declined quickly. Not only did he have an affair, but he tried to cover it up to protect his political career in a really shady way.

I picked up “The Politician” by Andrew Young to see his side of the story. He is the person who helped with the cover up. Young tells a tale of power changing John Edwards from a great man, to a shallow self-absorbed one. However, Young often seems child-like and whining. He talks about how he did anything and everything for the Edwards family, and that makes him deserve a future with them. At the end he says he wrote this book for money because he couldn’t get another job because of what they had “done” to him. Really? I felt that Andrew Young allowed himself to be used, and that the major weakness shown in this book is his own. He uses the personal story of someone he claims to have loved for his own gain. Do I think John Edwards is a bad person…no. Do I think he made some really bad choices? Yes. And I think he is paying for those choices dearly.