Marie Antoinette and John Edwards

John Edwards' staffer's hilarious gaffe in asking the Raleigh Wal-Mart for an early PS3 for the Edwards family brought us all a good laugh, but I really don't think it means all that much. Having a housefull of young staffers, I know they can go off half-cocked in an effort to get the job done. What really gets me is Edwards' response:

In the call, he repeated a story about his son Jack disapproving of a classmate buying sneakers at Wal-Mart. "If a 6-year-old can figure it out, America can definitely figure this out," Edwards said.

Well, well, well. The child of a millionaire mocks a classmate for wearing shoes bought at Wal-Mart. Did that little six year old make an informed decision to shop at the despised store? Or did his mother try to make the family's hard-earned dollars go a little farther and buy her little one Wal-Mart shoes? If John Edwards wants to teach the morality of caring for the less fortunate, let him start with his own children: Polite, kind people do not mock or criticize the clothing of those less fortunate than they. No doubt John Edwards' son thought the little boy ought to wear D&G instead -- on sale for only $109!

John Edwards reminds me of Marie Antoinette. When told the peasants had no bread to eat, she proved her complete lack of understanding of the lives of her subjects: like an early John Edwards, she replied "Let them eat cake!"