news-record.com

John Edwards, the former Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. senator, drew the short straw last Sunday night.

The event was the UNC-Duke women's basketball game in UNC's Carmichael Auditorium. The gym holds more than 10,000 people, and Edwards and his wife Elizabeth, by chance, had the bad luck of having seats next to mine.

No politician wants to sit next to an obnoxious, pestering journalist who peppers him with political questions during a UNC-Duke basketball game when he's supposedly relaxing.

But the minute Edwards sat down, I began mentally planning my "interview."

I'd interviewed him years ago along with other journalists, but this time I would go solo.

I planned to ask him about his political future; which Democratic candidate would get his official nod; did he approve of super-delegates (he's one). And that was merely the short list of 20 questions I had in mind.

I gave Edwards

a few minutes to catch his breath before extending my hand for a shake and introducing myself as a journalist. I'm not sneaky. It's only ethical to identify yourself as a journalist. It warns pols that questions are forthcoming and answers will be on the record.

When I told Edwards that I was a journalist he smiled (he always smiles), but I think he also winced. Maybe he was thinking: "Heck! Why did I have to be seated next to her at a basketball game?"

He was watching pregame events on the court when I lobbed my first question.

"Senator Edwards," I began. (I'm never sure how you address former senators but I stuck with "senator.") "Are you going to endorse Hillary or Obama?"

I knew Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had flown to Chapel Hill seeking his endorsement. After all, Edwards had finished third in the Democratic caucuses and primaries before dropping out.

Edwards smiled and replied to my endorsement question: "I haven't decided."

Next question: "Would you be interested in the office of the vice presidency?"

I was hoping for a scoop with this one. Headline possibility: "Edwards eager to be Democratic veep candidate!"

Edwards smiled and replied: "No comment."

So far my interview was going nowhere. Smiles and "no comment" are not the stuff of a meaty interview.

Undeterred, I was about to proceed when an autograph-seeker approached Edwards. Then came another and another … Then came a young girl wanting her picture taken with Edwards. Then came another photo-seeker.

"Do you ever get tired of all that?" I asked. "No," he replied with a smile. "People are nice."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Edwards, who'd been seated beside him, vanished. She'd gone backstage to be with their younger daughter, Emma Claire, 9, who would be part of the pregame ceremony along with other kids.

I had never met Elizabeth until Sunday night and, though our encounter was brief, she lived up to her rave reviews. She is friendly, down-to-earth, smart, articulate, a people person. And, despite a recurrence of cancer and the death of her father, she looked fine.

Since my interview had hit a stone wall with her husband and the pregame festivities were starting, I magnanimously said to him, "I won't bother you anymore with questions since you came to see the ballgame and not to be interviewed."

He flashed a big smile this time. "Thank you," he replied with relief.

"But I do have one last question," I continued. "Will you point out your daughter when the kids march in for the pregame ceremony?" It was a deal.

A few minutes later the flag processional entered the court before the national anthem was sung. Edwards dutifully pointed to a pretty, little blond-haired girl carrying the North Carolina flag.

Like a proud father, his eyes lighted up as he watched Emma Claire at center court. "And she didn't drop the flag," he said as the kids marched off the court.

Rosemary Roberts writes a Friday column. E-mail: rmroberts@triad.rr.com.