I've just spent some time reading the various reactions to John Edwards' disappointing admission of his extramarital affair and his lying about it. I can sympathize with those who remember and honor what it was that led me to support Edwards' candidacy, and I can fully understand the anger of those who reacted to his presumption.
I choose to draw a different lesson from this episode. All of us, no matter who we supported last year, need to remember that our leaders are mere mortals. Hillary, Barack, John, Al Gore, Howard Dean ... every politician in whom we place our hopes will necessarily disappoint us, because no human being is an infallible vessel for our highest aspirations.
What this day reminds me is that We must be the movement. Building the progressive movement to rescue this country from the depredations of Republican rule is my primary interest in being here, not electing Barack Obama (or even Democrats in general.) We need to form the parade that our leaders can't ignore, so we make sure they scramble in front of it. Without the parade, we will have no leader.
Remember this when you get your hopes up too high for Obama's presidency, and remember it too when your hopes are dashed. It's not about him, it's about us.