Rise and be Healed, says Rev. Edwards

In perhaps the most demagogic, morally reprehensible campaign plea of the season, John Edwards made the following remarks following the recent death of actor Christopher Reeve:

"When John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk. Get up out of that wheelchair and walk again."

I saw a clip of the rally with Edwards making these remarks, and was stunned speechless when I heard it. It is a shameless political plea, claiming that a change of administrations will result in miraculous scientific breakthroughs. My other thought, though, was that Edwards is a lawyer (I'm also in the fraternity, and feel justified in criticizing) and was simply doing what made him a multi-millionaire -- playing on the emotions of his audience (here a political rally, previously juries) to achieve a desired result, and using hyperbole to accomplish the goal. I have heard (or read) similar types of statements from attorneys more times than I care to count, but it seems particularly crass to make these comments so soon after the death of Christopher Reeve, and to associate them with such a naked political plea.