Schieffer The Latest To Ignore Edwards' Blogger Scandal

Democratic Presidential candidate and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards appeared Sunday on CBS’s "Face the Nation." While Mr. Edwards was on the program for more than nine minutes, host Bob Schieffer followed NBC’s lead and neglected to ask the former Senator about his anti-Christian bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan. Both have since left the Edwards campaign, but it is unknown whether they left voluntarily or were pushed out because the networks have avoided covering this story.

While Schieffer failed to inquire about these two bloggers, he did ask the former Vice Presidential candidate some tough questions on Iraq. Particularly, Mr. Schieffer pressed Edwards about the President’s stance:

"Well, let's just talk about Iraq, and let's try to get past whether somebody ought to apologize or not. Let's say that you become president and you'll have the opportunity to do everything you want to do about this. What would you do? I mean, isn't there something to what the president says when he says if we just leave there that--that you'll create this haven for terrorists, that they can operate out of there? What's going to happen if your recommendations are followed, I guess, is what I would say"

Edwards responded, noting that he did not know what would happen if his plan on Iraq were followed:

"I think no one knows what's going to happen. What we're doing is--what I'm doing is using my best judgment under very difficult circumstances. And, as president, the first thing I would do is say to the American people, `We cannot predict with any certainty what will happen..."

To which Schieffer followed:

"When you say you just don't know what--what will happen, can a person run for president making a statement like that, `I don't know what will happen if we leave'?"

Following the discussion about Iraq, Mr. Edwards admitted he would raise taxes to pay for his health care plan.

While it was encouraging that Schieffer would demand that the Democratic candidate discuss his specific plan for Iraq, Sunday’s segment was a missed opportunity to enlighten viewers about Senator Edwards’ feelings towards voters of faith. To remind readers, as MRC President Brent Bozell noted, Edwards’ bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Lisa McEwan have both written comments offensive to Christians, and are best summed up by Ms Marcotte’s following "joke:"

Q: What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit?

A: You’d have to justify your misogyny with another ancient mythology.

To which Edwards offered this weak response:

"They both said it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word."

Yet Schieffer, like most in the media, never brought this up to Mr. Edwards, nor did Edwards take the initiative and apologize to Christians who are offended and outraged at these statements.