I never looked to John Edwards for my moral guidance. He also never offered any. He took a stand against corporate interests and he wanted to help middle America. I still believe in that message and I still believe in John Edwards.

Am I let down? Not really. I never put John Edwards on a pedestal and I never would have. I wanted somebody to fight back for who I am and for my economic values. John Edwards never held himself up as a beacon of rectitude like Jesse Jackson or Jimmy Swaggart did. He does not hold others to higher moral standards like Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh did who then totally fail to follow their own sermons. John failed himself and his family but he did not fail me.

We all make very stupid mistakes. Not one of us is without sin and without episodes of very poor judgment. John fell victim to what many men and women have fallen to since the dawn of time, namely an over inflated sense of self-importance and the notion that their actions are acceptable because of their station in life. Unfortunately, all who fall to that end up paying a very dear price. A loss of family, trust, income and prestige are just a few things that are sacrificed in the name of ego and a desire for power.

The comedian Chris Rock said it well when he said, "A man is only as faithful as his options". I imagine John Edwards had a nearly countless number of opportunities to cheat but passed on them. Unfortunately, it only takes one moment to screw it all up and that is where John Edward finds himself today.

I will leave the shaming of John Edwards up to his wife and family. We, the public, have assumed for far too long that we can stand in judgment of our "public citizens" but we can only vote them out or deny them the spotlight. Our armchair moralizing and finger wagging is little more than an attempt to feel morally superior to someone we don't know and that we forget is also a human with all the inherent frailties and weaknesses we all have.

We should not assume that because someone runs for political office, or is a movie star or a celebrity, that they are somehow smarter, less prone to foolishness or even morally stronger than the average Joe is. That assumption is our ignorance and we never seem to learn the lesson that we are alike, complete with failings and successes. John Edwards made a huge mistake, one that many, many people can personally relate to.

This year, I was a precinct and county delegate representing John Edwards. I became one after caucusing for the first time ever (I always vote but had never caucused before) and I do not regret my choice of candidates. My wife and I saw John Edwards speak in a small town library after driving nearly three hours in the frigid weather. We were impressed then and we are still today. He laid out clear plans to address inequities and injustices, both financial and economical, and what he stood for. I was a believer then, and I am a believer now.

I also know his political career is basically dead in the water but I’ve seen far greater infractions cleared up over time and the candidate comes back even stronger than before. I hope John Edwards can learn from this and that his family forgives him. I know I already have.