Y’all leave John Edwards alone.

At first I was amused when the papers (including this one) started touting John Edwards as the Next Big Thing in politics, even dare we say it, a contender for the Presidency in 2004. "Come on," I said, "The guy’s less than a year into his first term in any political office, and you’re talking about promoting him to Leader of the Free World?" Amusement turned to dismay, however, when Edwards himself seemed to be buying into the hype, visiting early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire. (There’s only one reason for a North Carolina politico to be going to Iowa and it ain’t because they have good corn.)

After that, of course, the circus was on. Media, both local and national, started following every move Edwards made. The guy couldn’t order from Taco Bell without some pundit opining whether or not this meant Edwards was trying to "position" himself with the Hispanic community.

If ever there was any doubt that Edwards was being regarded as a serious contender, it was soon dispelled by the Republicans, who began mounting their own campaign to paint Edwards as a "Clinton liberal". They even took every possible opportunity to link Senator Edwards with their favorite bogeyman, Ted Kennedy. You really know you’ve arrived as a serious Democratic player when the Repubs start trying to hang the senior Senator from Massachusetts around your neck.

Suddenly, Edwards was everywhere: U.S News and World Report ran a story in which Edwards’ face ran on the cover instead of Al Gore’s. Vanity Fair ran a story in which noted curmudgeon Christopher Hitchens (who doesn’t even like Mother Theresa, for crying out loud) practically gave Johnny a big ol’ sloppy kiss. But the most bizarre moment came when People Magazine anointed Edwards "Sexiest Politician."

It was then that I knew our hometown boy was doomed.

For me, anyone riding that high with the American media is difficult to watch, because I’m just waiting for the critical moment when the backlash starts. And for Edwards, that moment apparently came on May 5^th on NBC’s "Meet The Press" with Tim Russert.

I’ll confess. I didn’t see The Appearance. I have two kids, and trying to wrest the TV from the evil grip of Spongebob Squarepants is frankly, more than I’m up to on a Sunday morning. But from the way the pundits reacted, you’d think Edwards had done everything wrong but drool on his tie. Edwards was criticized for vague, some said evasive answers on the issues, such as this gem on the Middle East: "we need to get those people to the table and make some progress."

Now, let’s face it, vagueness about the issues is not exactly unknown in American politics. Take, for instance, our nominally native daughter, Elizabeth Dole. Quick, tell me: what’s her stance on the Middle East crisis? I don’t know either, and Liddy, as far as I can see, ain’t telling. Of course her handlers have kept her far away from the likes of Tim Russert lately.

Suddenly, however, the story of Edwards’ sudden "fall" was the news flavor of the month. This newspaper breathlessly reported last week that Edwards had "slipped from second to fourth in a new ranking of potential 2004 Democratic nominees."

All of which raises the question: Is John Edwards the Ricky Martin of the political world—quickly rising to number one on the hit parade, touted as the next superstar, then falling back into a sea of unfulfilled hype, accused of being nothing more than a pretty face? (If you have to ask who Ricky Martin is, you understand what I’m talking about better than you think you do.)

Well, no. Frankly, none of this has been fair to Edwards, neither the sudden hype nor the abrupt backlash. In their desperate need to fill the insatiable maw of a starving news-beast, the American media created a star then, crocodile tears flowing, detailed his alleged "self-destruction" like a real-time version of VH1’s "Behind the Music." They’ve forgotten, however, that we need leaders, not rock stars. And making a leader takes time.

So, as I say, leave the guy alone. Quit trying to make him into the Next Big Thing. No one can handle that.

As for my advice to our soon-to-be –senior Senator: with all due respect, sir, you’re not exactly blameless in all of this. Chill out, dude. You’re young. You’re smart. You’ve got a heart that instinctively leans towards the little guy. That’s a rare and beautiful thing in American politics. Keep that up and you’ll be in it for the long haul. America and the Presidency will still be here in 2008. Or 2012.

If you want to emulate a rock star, think of Ozzy Osbourne. Quick fame, years of toil in relative obscurity, and now he’s a media sensation again, just from being himself. There’s a comeback for you.

Just so long as you don’t go getting a whole bunch of tattoos.

COPYRIGHT 2002 BY JERRY D. RHOADES, JR.