s-edawards-large.jpgBen Smith watched the Judy Bob Woodruff interview of John Edwards, and noticed this:

He also, in explaining his view that his dalliance could remain private, cited Republican John McCain’s reported affair at the end of his first marriage almost three decades ago.

"What I was thinking was this was something that was personal to my own family," Edwards said, citing other public figures having survived extramarital affairs. He recalled, he said, having heard "John McCain talk about the mistakes that he’s made in his past with respect to his first marriage."

"I’m not the first person to do this," he said.

Funny how ABC chose not to transcribe that part of the interview. (The partial transcript is here.)

Of course, it’s also funny how the same news media that is now gleefully eviscerating a former presidential candidate over an affair that ended years ago is oh-so-squeamish about talking about current presidential candidate John McCain’s many affairs, or his relationship with Vicki Iseman.

It’s even funnier how they have such utter contempt for Edwards, yet they worship fellow adulterer, liar and former pol Newt Gingrich’s every utterance.

Could it be that Edwards’ real crime was being a self-made rich guy who wanted to do right by the not-so-rich and dared to tweak the consciences of the rich guys who are the opinion tastemakers in our media?

I’d love to see Edwards invoke McCain’s name — and the fact that he, unlike Edwards, is still very much an active politician — every time he’s asked about this from now on, if for no other reason than to see what sort of censorship gymnastics are executed by the press in order to keep such ignominy from their blessed and saintly John Sidney McCain III.