From today’s Chronicle:
Duke also considered offering Edwards a position. ?After the elections he began talking to many officials from other universities, including Duke,? Rubey said. John Burness, Duke?s senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, confirmed that the administration had some discussions with staff members regarding Edwards.
Someone answer this for me: What, academically, can Edwards offer serious students? The man speaks in rehearsed phrases and banalities. Now, one could argue that Duke prefers professors who speak in banalities ? see this interview with Ariel Dorfman in the latest Independent for a smattering: “How are you going to feel if I’m in Hell and you’re in Heaven?”, “What if the person who can free you is the person you have most damaged on Earth?”, “How do we stop war? We work for peace”, “Jean Cocteau said, ‘I am a liar who tells the truth.”, “Language is very tricky, and we live mired in ambiguity.”
Also, is anyone fooled by UNC-Chapel Hill’s protest-too-much, repeated assurances that this isn’t a political gambit by Edwards? Richard Williams, chair of the board of trustees, here says that
?We wanted to make absolutely clear that this is focused on poverty and is not a political opportunity for Edwards. That is the assurance we got from the administration.?
