Election 2006: An American Government Supplement Book

One afternoon I was thumbing through TV shows and noticed Oprah interviewing a couple that I didn't recognize. After watching for a few minutes I learned that the couple was Cheri and Andrew Young. Andrew was the former aid to John Edwards and was promoting the book he had written to clear his own name in regards to the scandal that brought Edwards' political career down. What caught my attention was, to me, it seemed that Oprah was bullying the couple about the choices they had made. She mentioned that she had read Mr. Young's book prior to the interview. I was curious as to the Young's side of the story and since I'm not an Opera fan, wanted to come to my own conclusion so I put my name on the waiting list at the library.
The book was interesting in the fact that you receive an inside look into what and how politics are run back east. Sometimes I think westerners (me included) are not exposed to enough of the reality of how our government truly operates. We're ignorant but for the most part are also so far removed from that environment that I don't think we should blame ourselves.
Well I have to admit that I understand Oprah's angle. She really was not out of line in the way she conducted her interview. Every event that Mr. Young explains in his book is motivated by one thing, greed. Greed on the part of John and Elizabeth Edwards, Rielle Hunter and the Young family included. Of course the motivation for the greed of each person involved was intended for different reasons but that is no excuse for their actions. Like Oprah questioned, why didn't the Youngs just walk away? Refuse to be any part of the senator's crazy schemes? Andrew admits there are multiple opportunities for him to expose the senator and his mistress yet he chooses to stay loyal, mostly in hopes of scoring a long term position as a result of a successful campaign to better the life of his own family. Greed, greed, greed at the expense of many people's lives in addition to the innocent child that was born. While I was blown away by many of the details Andrew Young revealed, I'm still trying to come to an understanding of these people and their choices. I'm truly grateful that my own husband is only an electrician and NOT a politician. It is no wonder politics can be so infuriating.