I was saddened to hear this morning that John Edwards was bowing out as a presidential candidate. If he had ever been able to rise to the level of a serious contender to insure that we don't have another 4 years of Republican rule (if only for the Supreme Court nominees), I would have supported him in a heartbeat.
When I heard this morning that he was throwing in the towel I first thought it was to give his supporters time to mull it over and cast a meaningful vote in the upcoming "Super Tuesday" primary elections. After some mulling that over, I realized that while that supposition makes some sense it doesn't explain his exit. He had contended all along that he was going to the convention with his delegates, in the hope that he could broker a better future.
No, I sadly concluded that the real reason is Elizabeth. She is dying of cancer. You all may have forgotten, or never tuned into it, but back just after John declared, it was revealed that Elizabeth's cancer had surged back from remission and was ultimately terminal, but that the end date was unpredictable, abliet certain. I think people forgot this, but I didn't. I admired her choice to let her husband run for president, knowing that even if he succeeded, she would not live to see the full promise fulfilled.
I don't mean to bring folks down by this post. It's just that I have had WAY TO MANY dear friends succumb to cancer, including my own brother, so I am very familiar with all the jargon and am able to translate it to the real prognosis.
I believe that once John realized that he could not get the nomination, even though he might have been able to be a mover and shaker at the convention, he decided to withdraw to be able to spend his time with his wife until she dies. I truly hope I am full of shit on this, but I will not be surprised to wake up one morning in the next year and read that Elizabeth died of cancer. If that heartbreaking turn of events actually happens, all of you should hearken back to this post and give a sincere tribute to John for his decision.
~ Sadly,
Tom
1 comment:
I think your intuition is right on this. I had the same thought watching him give his end-of-campaign speech from New Orleans. Spend the time saved with her and their kids, it's the loving thing to do.
Post a Comment