Implausible deniability

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reported Sunday that John Edwards' campaign staffers had a secret pact to "blow up" his presidential campaign with revelations that he was secretly cheating on his cancer-stricken wife with filmmaker-wannabe Rielle Hunter.

There was a secret "doomsday" plan, unnamed former campaign officials said, to sabotage Edwards by destroying his campaign if it appeared that he was going to win the Democratic party nomination.

"They said they were Democrats first, and if it looked like Edwards was going to become the nominee, they were going to bring down the campaign," Stephanopoulos reported.

So the 2010 campaign, or maybe the 2012 campaign, has begun.

John Edwards' former campaign officials are looking for work.

Everybody involved in this story is too smart to believe any of it.

George Stephanopoulos is helping his future sources redeem their reputation in Democratic circles by dutifully reporting that they never would have allowed an adulterer to become the nominee and then lose the election over character issues.

Because that's what would have happened if John Edwards had been nominated. A presidential candidate who cheats on his wife is reckless. A presidential candidate who cheats on his wife while she travels the country campaigning for him between chemotherapy treatments is a suicide bomber.

Does anybody believe that the campaign officials working for John Edwards would really have brought down his campaign after it was clear he was going to win the nomination?

Nice try, everybody. We've got your resume. We'll call you.


Copyright 2009

Editor's note: You might be interested in the 2008 post, "Tabloid update: Cover-ups!"


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