After having written three posts on the subject of Amanda Marcotte (all of which have mentioned John Edwards), I'm now realizing that because this involves an election, my political motives might be suspect, and I want to remind my readers that I have no interest in taking sides one way or the other vis-a-vis the Edwards candidacy. If anything, I should be expected to, if not support him, at least not do anything to harm his campaign, as I disagree with the idea (once expressed at Pandagon, but now MIA like so many others) that Hillary Clinton would be an easy candidate for the Republicans to beat.

So, while I'm still registered as a Republican, that hardly means I'd want Edwards defeated at this stage of the game. Even though I'll never vote for him, it seems fair to say a few words in his defense.

I think it's quite possible that John Edwards did not realize the burden he had taken on when he hired Amanda Marcotte. As Ann Althouse notes, the man may have been overburdened. (Via Glenn Reynolds, who adds that "ignorance is strength.")

Hmm...

If ignorance is strength, and if Edwards was ignorant when he hired Marcotte, then he may be blameless -- or maybe just guilty of having made what Glenn thinks is a poor choice.

My view is that Amanda Marcotte is a left-wing Ann Coulter. The two are remarkably similar in the scorn, vitriol and invective departments. But Ann Coulter usually owns up to what she says, and has paid the price for it (as when the National Review dumped her). Amanda Marcotte, on the other hand, wants to be an Ann Coulter and not be an Ann Coulter at the same time. Such a thing is impossible. (Witness the bizarre duality of simultaneously claiming on the one hand that the disappeared posts were "lost in migration" but then instead of restoring them, hurling accusations of sexism at the "right wing mob" for daring to find and cite them. I'm sorry, but that strikes me as selective, passive aggressive, blog bulimia.)

It is one thing to hold kooky (or "interesting") opinions. Some of mine are quite unconventional, although I like to think I can defend them. But to own and disown your opinions at the same time is self canceling.

What remains to be seen is whether John Edwards will be able to get away with having his Ann Coulter and not having her too.

Sorry to butcher the old have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too expression, folks, but if I'd referred to John Edwards and Ann Coulter that way, they might make me scrub my post out with soap.

(I'd hate to be forced to engage in blog bulimia at my own blog!)

UPDATE (02/06/07): While I'm not an expert on complex medical/social issues, it seems that Amanda Marcotte's cycles of blog bulimia have infected a slim (but very angry) woman of color.

(As for me, I'm still working through my urge to purge!)