WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- John Edwards took the stage at Indiana University on Tuesday night for a discussion on the 2008 presidential election , but members of the audience may have had something else on their minds entirely . John Edwards admitted in August that he had an affair with Rielle Hunter in 2006 . After all , this is the former North Carolina senator 's first public appearance since his admission of an extramarital affair sent shockwaves through the political world more than three months ago . Edwards talked about politics , poverty and his hopes for America and the world , according to The Associated Press . Afterward , he answered only written questions that had been submitted before his speech . The affair was n't mentioned , AP reported . The revelation , confirming a months-long investigation by the National Enquirer , was a political bombshell for the former candidate , who espoused moral values during his White House bid and whose wife is fighting a public battle with breast cancer . The acknowledgment , during an ABC News interview in early August , was carefully timed to coincide with the opening night of the Olympic Games for minimum impact , and Edwards effectively went into hiding immediately after . During the interview , Edwards said he had engaged in an extramarital affair with a former campaign staffer , Rielle Hunter , but he vehemently denied he was the father of her newborn baby . The man who had been considered a major contender for the Democratic nomination instantly became a pariah in his own party and did n't merit so much as a mention at the Democratic National Convention a month later . But with the 2008 presidential election officially in the history books , Edwards may be looking to accomplish what a handful of other national political figures have been able to do : successfully re-emerge from an embarrassing public scandal that by all appearances has left his political career in ruins . It remains unclear how successful the 2004 vice-presidential nominee will be in that pursuit , but Americans have given politicians second chances in the past . Political opponents and members of the media have written off Bill Clinton on more than one occasion after embarrassing sex scandals , and many assumed Louisiana Sen. David Vitter 's career was done after his involvement with a Washington escort last year . `` It 's possible that so many officeholders have survived sexual scandals simply because the public has a low opinion of politicians , '' CNN polling director Keating Holland said . `` They may not be surprised that politicians are cheating on their spouses and may be more likely to forgive behavior that they assume is happening anyway . '' But for every politician that has survived a sex scandal , scores of once-powerful men have not . Just ask former Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart , former Republican Rep. Bob Livingston , or Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney , who lost his re-election bid last week after an affair with a former staffer was disclosed . But Edwards ' future just may hinge on how he goes about re-entering the public sphere . While it remains a long shot that Edwards will ever run for office again , he could re-emerge as a powerful voice for a set of issues he championed during the Democratic presidential primary : poverty and healthcare . `` He needs to figure out what the Democratic Party needs post-Obama election and step back and think , 'Well , what can I bring to the table ? ' `` said James Spellman , a professor at George Washington University 's Graduate School of Political Management . `` It ca n't be all about him and his resurrection . It has to be about the benefits he can bring to helping the new administration and what he can do to help Obama and his team get the job done . '' `` Americans are very forgiving , and their memory is often short , '' Spellman said . `` He can come back if he does it right . '' The speech Tuesday night appears designed not to make a political splash -- no reporters or cameras are allowed in the room . But by all outward appearances , it is an attempt by Edwards to dip his foot back into the political waters after a three-month hiatus . `` Whatever he says , his speech is either going to be blogged or taped by people listening , '' Spellman said . `` Social media technologies are such today that nothing is closed . Anytime you give a speech it 's public . '' Edwards is also set to make a public appearance in San Francisco , California , Wednesday -- and slated to debate former Bush strategist Karl Rove at the American Bankers Association , the San Francisco Chronicle reported over the weekend . But even as Edwards is appearing to take the first steps toward a comeback , former supporters -- many of whom where blindsided by his admission of infidelity -- may be unwilling to give him a second chance this soon . `` I wish he would keep himself locked in a cave for a year , '' a former senior staffer to Edwards ' campaign said . `` The best strategy he could adopt right now is to stay below the radar and just be quiet and let people move on . '' `` Part of him wants to champion causes others have left behind , and there is a part of him that feels like his own personal mistakes should not sabotage the causes of poverty , but he is not the best messenger for that right now , '' the former senior staffer said .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. John Edwards to debate Karl Rove Wednesday , paper reports . Former presidential candidate speaks Tuesday night in Indiana . Nearly three months ago he admitted to an extramarital affair . Professor : `` Americans are very forgiving , and their memory is often short ''