Edwards Indicted

So John Edwards was indicted today. The charges, if true, are quite disgraceful. But not to sound shallow or anything but what really irritates the hell out of me is what he is doing in this photo— that little hand gesture that was so popular with a lot of these politicians for a while. There was that little Kennedyesque gesture they all started doing, and there was also this Buddhist-like hands together bow that Al Gore, John Kerry and a bunch of the others started doing at one time also.

Why do I bring this up? Partly because admittedly I am a little nuts, sure. But also because I think it is these smaller, seemingly insignificant gestures that always say so much about a person's character. If a politician starts mimicking the physical gestures of other politicians, the "gestures of the moment," so to speak, what does that reveal about his or her character? For one thing, that they are probably a follower, not a leader.

Do you remember when John Kerry was told during one of his debates to promise he won't raise taxes? I'll never forget how he looked directly into the camera and did as told. That moment revealed just as much about his character as the thousand and one times George W. tensed his shoulders when he said just about anything, because deep down he knew he didn't have what it took to be President, that his whole presidency was a scam and he'd rather be somewhere else raking brush.

Notice how you never, ever see President Obama make any of those "political gestures of the moment" bows or hand pointings.