Would I?

Someone asked me an interesting question at work today:

Would you still vote for John Edwards?

Now, this person happens to know exactly what i think of cheating on one's partner. . . So to cheat on your partner who has incurable cancer? That significantly lowered the bar for scumbaggery, and Edwards slid right on underneath it. And to cheat on your partner who has incurable cancer, who was not only selfless enough to not ask you to stay at her side during her remaining time in this world, but to go out and campaign on behalf of your worthless cheating ass? I think that pretty much makes him the toxic black mold that grows on the bottom of the scumbag. . . you know, the kind of mold that causes all those health problems.

This person also happens to know how upset i was when Edwards had dropped from the race before the election made its way to Indiana. So it was a fair question, and it was a couple of hours before i was able to answer it.

The answer is yes, i would. Now, before you vent your outraged morality on me (like the author of the question did), let me explain; and to make my point, i'm going to borrow everyone's favourite philanderer: Bill Clinton.

I thought Bill was a terrific president. If i could've elected him to a third term, i would have without hesitation. Yes, he cheated on Hillary, and i thought that was a dickheaded move on his part (seriously, if she made him that unhappy, he should've left her ass). But i don't elect my officials based on their personal lives. Bill could've double-penetrated Monica with three cigars in each hole and chain smoked em all while ejaculating on every blue piece of clothing she owned and watching his wedding video, and it wouldn't have made an ounce of difference to me. I liked what he did with the economy, i liked his foreign policy, and i liked that he didn't try to legislate his own brand of morality. I don't need a moral compass, and if i did, i wouldn't elect it to public office.

For those who still can't understand what i'm trying to say, imagine this: You make a mistake in life. Let's say it's a traffic ticket, maybe for intentionally gunning it to make a red light. Then you go and apply for a job. Your interview seems to be going well, and then your prospective boss informs you that his company doesn't employ scofflaws. You've just been denied a job because of a moving violation. Or maybe you married someone who wasn't right for you and got a divorce. How would you like it if your would-be future boss was Catholic, and told you that he doesn't hire morally corrupt people who participate in the abomination of divorce?

The point i'm trying to make is, Clinton was guilty of being a bad husband. If you took a poll of every elected official in this country, i'm sure you'd find that over half of them are guilty of being bad husbands in one way or another. Does Bad Husband mean he can't perform his job effectively? I don't personally think so. And that's basically how i feel about John Edwards. While i find his behaviour reprehensible, i don't think that has anything to do with his ability to be a good president. Yes, i would still vote for that asshole.