He was wrong
John Edwards, that is. He said so himself in yesterday's New York Times.
I was wrong.
See? Told ya. He's talking about the Iraq war, of course, and how it was a mistake to have voted for it like he did.
Now I happen to think that John Edwards is about as slimy as they come, and no there's no doubt that this was a calculated, self-serving piece, and I (obviously) disagree with much of it.
Still, you have to give him credit for a few things.
- It's always refreshing to hear a politician admit he was wrong. Most of them usually are.
- He accepted responsibility for his own vote. He did not (for the most part) try to argue that "Bush lied" about WMD, and that gullible Senate Democrats were duped into going along for the ride.
- He did not try to re-write history (as did John Kerry, for example) by downplaying his Senate vote and trying to claim (quite implausibly) that he had always been against the war.
Again, I disagree with most of what Edwards says, but I do believe he has hit upon a potentially successful formula for Democrats who have felt trapped on this issue. The American people admire this kind of candor among their leaders, and their capacity for forgiveness is nearly unbounded, given that a politician requests it with the proper mix of forthrightness and contrition.
So why is John Edwards the only Democratic critic who's chosen the "take responsibility" route over historic revisionism? Perhaps because he's unemployed and feels he has less to lose. Perhaps the thought of this kind of public mea culpa is too frightening for seated, Democratic congressmen who will be seeking reelection at the end of their current terms.
Comments
Could be. Or, it could be that he just wants to get back onto the news. Any kind of news. I expect his next action to involve a Canadian goat and a rusty swing set.
Posted by: Stevin | November 14, 2005 01:24 PM
Yes, it would be nice to hear the president admit to being wrong every now and then.
Oh yeah. I forgot. He's the second coming of Jesus and therefore infallible.
Silly me.
Posted by: Jill | November 14, 2005 02:42 PM
Thank you, jessemy.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 14, 2005 05:57 PM
Burn!
Posted by: Barry | November 14, 2005 08:25 PM
We are all wrong for believing that Big Oil Bush and Cheney wouldn't put forth treasonous lies as excuses for enriching their friends.
Oh wait, that's right, I didn't believe the lying a-holes.
Everyone had the same information that Bush and Cheney beat, intimidated, and massaged from the CIA. That's sort of the whole point, Bush lied. But one must admit that other politicians should have already known that Bush is a liar, and ignored his Chickenhawk drumbeat for a war that he wouldn't have the balls to go near.
Posted by: Bailey Hankins | November 14, 2005 08:42 PM
I for one never believed we were going to war for purely ideological reasons. I've said it before here; wars are fought for 4 reasons: money, power, land, or some combination thereof. Every war mankind has ever waged has been for those 4 reasons. But my other point is this: So what if we went to war for oil? Who cares? It's not the worst thing a war has been fought for.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 15, 2005 01:09 PM
I wish we were fighting for the land. Unfortunately, the war is about enriching a very tiny group of people: Bush's friends.
Bush is raping the taxpayer to pay his "war" while Big Oil rapes us with price hikes and the the Neocons push through laws so that we are raped yet again into paying for their refineries.
So, what is America getting out of this deal?
Nothing.
What are the Friends of Bush getting? Billions.
It is treason.
Posted by: Bailey Hankins | November 15, 2005 01:19 PM
I see oil and unleaded gasoline prices are down sharply again today.
Anyone have any ideas about where these prices will bottom out?
Posted by: withoutfeathers | November 15, 2005 01:37 PM
Don't know where they'll bottom out, but I do have this interesting piece on the ASTONISHINGlY GREEDY PROFITS MADE BY OIL COMPANIES!
Posted by: Adam | November 15, 2005 03:23 PM
man, wouldn't it be weird to see Bush in TV sayin "aiight y'all, i lied back there... hah yeah right.
Posted by: ortho | November 15, 2005 10:56 PM
Then they'd be unemployed. I hope you can live with the results of that suggestion, you heartless wretch.
Posted by: apotheosis | November 16, 2005 12:02 PM
Everyone in America, except apologist Neocons, can clearly see that Bush lied and attempted to cover it up.
Save your lies.
Posted by: Bailey Hankins | November 16, 2005 02:10 PM
And remember, kids...if you save 200 lies, you can trade them in for a brand-new Democrat of equal or lesser value!
Posted by: apotheosis | November 16, 2005 02:27 PM
Where's Harry Truman when you need him? He'd set it all right. Also, I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I really don't recall being raped, even though I have held a job and payed taxes. Despite all of this, and Bailey's constant profiling, my ass is still ok.
Posted by: That Guy | November 16, 2005 02:36 PM
Maybe you are one of the white collar criminals Bush has loosed to grab up all the money into one giant America Inc.
Posted by: Bailey Hankins | November 17, 2005 09:58 AM