NEW YORK – Democrat John Edwards said Tuesday that honesty and openness were essential qualities for a president, and that he was proud to acknowledge his 2002 vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq was a mistake.
Trolling for campaign cash on a three-day visit to New York — home of his chief Democratic rival, Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton — Edwards spoke to reporters after attending a union-sponsored workshop on eradicating poverty.Asked whether his repeated apologies for his vote would be a turnoff to voters over time, the 2004 vice presidential nominee said that after six years of President Bush, voters craved a president willing to acknowledge errors and change course if necessary.
“If you asked me what I think the most important personal characteristics of the next president are, I would say honesty, openness and decency,” he said. “There’s not a single voter in America who doesn’t understand that their president is human, and their president will sometimes makes mistakes.”
I’m not sure “proud” is the word I’d use to describe how one would feel about getting suckered by George W. Bush, but really, let’s be glad he recognizes the “suckered” part, because it’s more than a lot of people are able to do.
A.