Ethics Newsline®

Readers offered a variety of responses to Rushworth Kidder’s column, “John Edwards, Undefended,” in which Dr. Kidder posited that Edwards was undone essentially by a lack of wisdom — “the judgment that intuitively detects wrong and separates it from right…. Without that alertness to danger, there’s little capacity to defend against the subtleties of ego, pride, and exceptionalism.”

One reader offered this reaction: “Edwards brought this all on himself because he, as many in power believe, thought he would never get caught and, if he did get caught, believed he was bulletproof. ”

Another contended, “You have hit exactly the right note on this, in a clear but compassionate way, that will enable people to think this issue through to the right conclusion.”

Others saw media bias in favor of Edwards. “Had some other would-be or have-been candidates behaved as badly as John Edwards,” one wrote, “but did not share the media’s personal and political goals, I doubt that the media would have ‘ignored’ the story until they could ignore it no longer.”

And one reader argued that the root of the problem is the relentless pattern of attack waged by the media and by political opponents. “This cycle of constant personal destruction only encourages — no, that’s not strong enough — demands that leaders lie to cover their own weaknesses. It creates a cynical electorate who can’t comprehend the idea of a candidate being, well, candid and — this is the sad part — meaning it.”

– Compiled by Ethics Newsline® editor Carl Hausman