In this case, it’s John Edwards; who most of us knew to be a phony three years ago, but nonetheless, these observations are very enlightening:
Strike One: Sept. 16, 2003. The candidate was supposed to appear on a makeshift stage on Greene Street in front of the Russell House.
He was supposed to arrive at 4 p.m., but it was past 5 before he showed. When his appearance was imminent, his wife appeared on the stage and built expectation in a manner I found appealing and sincere. Then I saw Mr. Edwards step to an offstage position just behind the bleachers to my left. None of the folks in the “good” seats could see him.
His face was impassive, slack, bored: Another crowd, another show. Nothing wrong with that — just a professional at work.
But then, I saw the thing that stuck with me: As his introduction reached its climax, he straightened, and turned on a thousand-watt smile as easily and artificially as flipping a switch. He assumed the look of a man who had just, quite unexpectedly, run into a long-lost best friend. He stepped into view of the crowd at large, and worked his way, Bill Clinton-like, from the back of the crowd toward the stage — a man of the people, coming out from among the people — shaking hands with the humble, grateful enthusiasm of a poor soul who had just won the Irish Sweepstakes.
It was so well done, but so obviously a thing of art, that I was taken aback despite three decades of seeing politicians at work.
And it took you this long to figure out that this guy was a phony ?
August 8th, 2007 at 12:21 am
The Breck Girl A Phony?…
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August 8th, 2007 at 12:22 am
Keep up the good work! You can never draw enough attention to the hypocrisy of the left.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:26 am
You can hammer nails with black people, doesn’t mean you’re sincere.
August 8th, 2007 at 8:31 am
[...] Recognizing a phony - from Below The Beltway. Murder, or the right to choose? From Conservative V.O.I.C.E. Thousand-dollar fee for driving 75 - from Raising Kaine. [...]
August 8th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
[...] Below the Beltway has an interesting piece of the genuine woman (according to his wife) in the Democrat Presidential sweepstakes. [...]