Edwards talks politics, not affair

BLOOMINGTON, IND. -- John Edwards showed few signs of rust Tuesday at his first speech after spending three months sidelined by the disclosure of an extramarital affair. He talked about the election, foreign policy, climate change, poverty and health care.

But the former North Carolina senator didn't have to dodge tough questions from his Indiana University audience of more than 1,000: He took only written questions submitted in advance.

Graduate student Kortnee Warner said she found the speech "inspirational" and said that she was glad Edwards did not address any personal problems.

"I heard about some of those issues," Warner said. "It happens more than you realize it. I didn't make any character judgments."

The Indiana University student newspaper reported that the school's Union Board decided not to allow open questions from the audience. Union Board lectures director Andrew Dahlen told the Indiana Daily Student that the decision had little to do with the affair, but was meant to ensure a variety of questions.

Edwards spoke for about a half-hour, saying he wanted to continue working for poor people struggling to survive in America and abroad, whether he remains in politics or not. He said Sen. Barack Obama's long primary battle with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton helped strengthen the president-elect as a candidate. He also discussed familiar pillars of his past speeches: poverty and universal health care.

Edwards said that Obama will make the U.S. respected again abroad, and that economic and energy problems are international. "Without global cooperation, these problems cannot be solved, and America needs to lead the way."

He applauded grass-roots political organization and said youth brought a freshness and energy to the campaign this year. "We need you," Edwards said. "America needs you, and I hope you stay involved."

But the affair that Edwards has acknowledged with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter wasn't mentioned. After public statements in August, Edwards said he did not plan to speak about the affair again.

The affair took place after his wife, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of the 2004 election. Edwards said it ended before the couple announced in March 2007 that her cancer had returned.

In September, Edwards announced he was canceling all public engagements until after the November elections.

"Nothing is more important than electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden," he said in a statement at the time. "I don't want my appearance at these events to be a distraction from the important issues of the election, or from the important purpose of these meetings."

Elizabeth Edwards, however, returned to the public stage, including a trip to Capitol Hill to speak about health-care reform.

On Tuesday night, Indiana junior Pat Buschman, new external vice chairman of IU's College Republicans, said he thought the selection of Edwards as a speaker was inappropriate because of his personal life.

"I think that for $35,000, you could have gotten a better speaker, with all the stuff coming out of him," Buschman said.