Following moral compass critical for leadership

John Edwards – former senator, vice presidential, and presidential candidate – has been caught like a deer in the headlights. He’s admitted to having an affair for a short period in 2006 with Rielle Hunter after saying no, no, no for awhile now. Listening to reporters this evening on Fox News, the sentiment was pretty consistent. Everybody felt pretty bad.

How can you not feel bad for the Edwards family? The people who knew about the affair – including Edwards’ wife Elizabeth – were trying to keep it a quiet and private. Although nobody on TV was willing to attack Edwards for lying, sweeping this type of information under the rug and avoiding reporting on it all together may pose an opportunity for bad people to bribe those in public office.

It’s not a problem limited to politicians. Those who are business leaders with responsibility for Fortune 500 companies can also run into trouble.

Could having a true moral compass be critical for leaders in the free world? Not only did Edwards lie on a regular basis when asked about the affair, it’s possible that there were enough friends of the Breck Girl to cover Hunter’s lavish lifestyle the last few years.

What if Hunter was asking for hush money after Edwards ended the affair? If you worked as a government contractor, reporter or a member of congress and knew about an affair of a sitting president – who was trying to hide that relationship – how much access would you have? What would the perks be?

If you were a congressman, would you get favorable treatment and have additional earmarks approved?

What if you were an agent of a foreign government?

Here is the text from the Edwards release today.

In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it.

But being 99 percent honest is no longer enough.

I was and am ashamed of my conduct and choices, and I had hoped that it would never become public. With my family, I took responsibility for my actions in 2006 and today I take full responsibility publicly. But that misconduct took place for a short period in 2006. It ended then. I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby, and I am truly hopeful that a test will be done so this fact can be definitively established. I only know that the apparent father has said publicly that he is the father of the baby. I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby.

It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up — feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.

I have given a complete interview on this matter and having done so, will have nothing more to say.

Limbaugh asks why the Democrats have scratched Edwards from the convention and are keeping a slot for Bill Clinton. It’s just sex after all.

Malkin has information too and links us to Allahpundit’s post over at Hot Air. Allah’s all over this with update after update, with good questions.

… A detail I initially missed but which I’ve now added to the blockquote: “Edwards said his wife, Elizabeth, and others in his family became aware of the affair in 2006.” Obvious question: If the affair ended so long ago that he couldn’t be the father of a child born in February of this year, what’s he doing sneaking out to a hotel late at night to visit his old girlfriend? …

Actually, here’s arguably the most corrupt element of the whole story: “According to friends of Hunter, Edwards met her at a New York city bar in 2006. His political action committee later paid her $114,000 to produce campaign website documentaries despite her lack of experience.” Also, Ace wonders how dearly loved a man must be by his friends for it to be “possible” that they paid off his mistress on his behalf without so much as telling him.

Pete Yost over at AP has a detailed story.

Jim Baker over at American Thinker got thoughtful discussing the tax liability of those alleged payments. (Refer to the National Enquirer link above.)

LGF posted at about 3:20 p.m. ET and there’s already almost 1,000 comments.

See ya never John. You’re gone.