John McCain and John Edwards

Republicans had a gleeful time talking about the infidelities of John Edwards, former Democratic candidate for president. One writer in the Gazette proclaimed that Edwards’ philandering was part of a picture “which ought to be viewed as evidence that something is desperately wrong.” In other words, John Edwards’ infidelity was one sign of a disintegrating society. If marital infidelity is a sign of a decadent society, than society has been decadent for a very long time.

I have a great big question to ask. What about the philandering of John McCain? What is the difference between John Edwards and John McCain? Why did Edwards get all of the publicity? He was no longer a factor in the election when the story broke. Despite his political irrelevance, the media, especially the Republican Broadcasting Company (Fox News), continued for weeks to harp on Edwards’ affair with another woman. But John McCain, whose story is central to today’s news, and whose story was identical to that of John Edwards, got a free pass.

Let’s go back a little. Before his tour of duty in Vietnam, McCain married a model from Philadelphia named Carol Shepp. While he was imprisoned by the North Vietnamese, she was in an automobile wreck. Her car skidded on icy roads into a telegraph pole on Christmas Eve, 1969. She was thrown through her car's windshield and left seriously injured. Her pelvis and one arm were shattered by the impact and she suffered massive internal injuries. She refused to let them tell her imprisoned husband about her injuries.

When Carol was discharged from the hospital after six months of life-saving surgery, the prognosis was bleak. In order to save her legs, surgeons were forced to cut away large sections of shattered bone, taking with it her tall, willowy figure. She was confined to a wheelchair and was forced to use a catheter. Through sheer hard work, Carol learned to walk again. But by the time John McCain came home from Vietnam and learned for the first time about her injuries, she had gained weight.

After his return from Vietnam, and while still married to Carol, McCain was promoted to Squadron Commander. In this role he used his authority to arrange flights that allowed him to carouse with subordinates and engage in extra-marital affairs. Such behavior was a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice rules against adultery and fraternization with subordinates.

In 1979, at a military reception in Honolulu, McCain met Cindy Hensley, an attractive 25-year-old woman from a very wealthy and politically-connected Arizona family. Cindy's father founded the nation's third-largest Anheuser-Busch distributor. Cindy was 18 years younger than McCain’s wife, Carol. In his book, McCain described their first meeting: "She was lovely, intelligent and charming, 17 years my junior but poised and confident…. When it came time to leave the party, I persuaded her to join me for drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (He didn’t mention that he was still married to Carol). By the evening's end, I was in love."

McCain then began an affair with Cindy. He later dumped his crippled wife. He filed for divorce from Carol in 1980, stating in court records that the marriage was "irretrievably broken." A month after the divorce, he married Cindy—his current wife.

Republicans have traditionally occupied the holier-than-thou pedestal of sanctity while accusing Democrats of being the agents of Satan. Why is it that John Edwards is portrayed as a complete cad while nothing is said about the identical behavior of John McCain? One hears that some of the women who voted for Hillary Clinton are switching to McCain. Perhaps these women would like to consider McCain’s behavior toward his first wife.

I do not condemn Edwards or McCain for their infidelities. They are both human. The sin that is more deserving of condemnation is the sanctimonious hypocrisy of modern-day Republican leaders. In the “Inferno,” Dante consigned hypocrites to the next to lowest circle of Hell, the Eighth. The Republicans had better hope that Dante’s great epic poem is not prophetic.