Jay has a slightly counterintuitive thought on the Edwards announcement:
John said that when the two of them were alone, Elizabeth was concerned about everyone but herself—her children, her husband and her country, in that order, but not herself.
He clearly meant it to be inspiring, but there is also something discomfiting about that statement. Even more discomfiting was Edwards’ claim that by soldiering on while his wife has incurable cancer, he would be proving that he could deal with the pressures of being president. I wonder how voters will react to that sentiment. . . surely many average Americans have to be wondering at what point the candidate will decide that his duties as husband and father to three children, including a 6 and 8 year old, trump his duty to his country and the cause of winning the White House.
Now if only Jay would blog about this…
UPDATE: My little snark regarding Jay’s light blogging was not intended to suggest he’s deliberately staying away; we work in the same office, I know the main reason he doesn’t post more is that he’s an extremely busy guy, but it is my duty as hostess of Swampland to cajole people into participating. Public mocking is a sometimes useful tool in that regard. (Private mocking has, thus far, been to no avail.) And, for what it’s worth, I think his point about what voters might think is a good one. He’s not actually making the case that he is wondering about “country vs. family,” he’s laying out an argument about public opinions — which are not always pretty.
