Another politician, another scandal. Only this time it's truly a shocker for me. MSNBC just reported that former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) and one-time presidential hopeful, has acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair during 2006. 

Last October, everyone's favorite tabloid, the Enquirer, reported that Edwards was “caught in a shocking mistress scandal that could wreck his
campaign.” Edwards did what politicians do best - deny, deny, deny. But now it looks as though the tables have turned and Edwards has just publically acknowledged that he had an ongoing affair with an aspiring documentary filmmaker named Rielle Hunter, all while his wife was battling cancer. Hunter gave birth to a baby girl in Feburary, but Edwards denies that the child is his own. 

The reason that I am discussing Edward's plight is a simple one - I want to believe in politicians, yet around every corner, I find reasons I can't. I liked John Edwards. I always admired his political, social, moral, policies and pragmatism. But more than that, I admired his marriage. I remember telling my husband earlier this year that I hoped we could be as in love as they were during our golden years. 

I feel duped.

I suppose the truth of the matter is that politicians are human - they make mistakes. Yet shouldn't we hold them to a higher standard? I'm not claiming to be perfect. God knows I've made my share of mistakes. But I can't shake the feeling that there is always something behind the flashy pearly-white smiles of our elected officials. Paranoid? Maybe. Do I have a right to be? Probably. I just hope that Elizabeth Edwards, a brave, intelligent and compassionate woman, can find a way to stay strong and cope.