I’ve been struggling to articulate what I think is a more compassionate and nuanced interpretation of John Edwards’ “extramarital affair” (I hate this descriptor, but I’ll save that for another time).  Before I’d fully worked out my own take, I found what I was looking for at Kittywampus.  It’s just possible that John McCain’s first marriage was also affected by profound adversity – his time away from his wife and kids while in the US Air Force; the stress of his imprisonment; his wife’s accident and subsequent ill health and disability for instance.  If anyone thinks that people whose relationships don’t survive these life changing events are merely superficial, disloyal dogs and if anyone thinks that it’s only women who get “abandoned” by men in such situations, think again.  

I’ve seen people go through the kinds of events described by Sungold and it ain’t always inspiring.  If you think that the people who come out the other side with stronger relationships are remarkable, that would be correct and does not in itself make the people who don’t make it the biggest asshats in the universe. 

UPDATE:  Sungold‘s latest post on the political issues surrounding the John Edwards “affair” is up today and, once again, well worth a read