It does happen -- check out Tony Snow: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/edwards_and_the.html
John and Elizabeth Edwards and the etiquette of empathy Posted by Mark Silva at 5 pm CDT Having had a chance to reflect this afternoon on the announcement that John and Elizabeth Edwards made about her recurring cancer, treatable but incurable, and their decision to carry on with a presidential campaign that takes a heavy toll even on healthy people, it's also breath-taking to see some of the commentary that this turn of events has generated from contributors to the Swamp. Some have suggested that the couple has played her cancer to crass political advantage today. One suggested that President Bush, in contrast, had never said anything about the first lady's treatment for skin cancer -- as if cosmetic surgery on an ankle is akin to metastatic stage-four breast cancer that is seated in the bone and could be moving to a lung. Too few, perhaps, have offered the gesture that Tony Snow, noted Republican and cancer survivor, made from the podium of the White House briefing room today. "As somebody who has been through this,'' Snow said, "Elizabeth Edwards is setting a powerful example for a lot of people, and a good and positive one. She has been on top of diagnosis and follow-up. When you have cancer it's very important to keep checking. She's being aggressive. She's living an active life. And a positive attitude, prayers, and people you love are always a very good addition to any kind of medicine you have. So for Elizabeth Edwards, good going; our prayers are with you.'' In these fast times of 24/7 news cycles and an endlessly churning Internet, when our perception of political pursuit is sometimes clouded by cynicism and often colored by philosophical bias, it's still possible that it's worth considering that sometimes people, confronting a burden that everyone will soon know about in any event, decide that it's best they explain it as publicly and peacefully as possible and then commit themselves to carrying on with what they hold important in their lives. The former senator had this to say about it in an email to his followers this evening: Dear Friend, Elizabeth and I are so grateful for your prayers and wishes. Your support means a great deal to us during this difficult time. As you may have heard, yesterday we found out that Elizabeth's breast cancer is back, but confined mainly to her bones. Although this isn't the news we wanted to hear, we are very optimistic. Having been through many struggles together in the past, we know that the key is to keep your head up, keep moving and be strong. And that's exactly what we intend to do. Elizabeth and I have been married for nearly 30 years and we will be in this every step of the way together. We will keep a positive attitude and always look for the silver liningâthat's what we do. Although the cancer is no longer curable, it is treatable, and many patients in similar circumstances have lived full, energetic lives. We expect nothing less for Elizabeth. She expects to do all the things next week that she did last week. Our campaign goes on and it goes on strongly. We are so proud of the campaign we are runningâa campaign based on ideas and reaching out to people. This campaign is not about me or Elizabethâit's about all the people we have met these past few years and people like them all across America and the worldâpeople worried about feeding and clothing their kids; people without health care; people facing hardships overseas. Both of us are committed to this campaign. We're committed to this cause and we're committed to changing this country we love so much. Thank you again for your support and for standing with us. John Edwards in White House 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Upgrade to Adobe ColdFusion MX7 Experience Flex 2 & MX7 integration & create powerful cross-platform RIAs http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=RVJQ Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:231213 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
