Update: John Edwards Confesses to Affair but Denies Paternity

[AkSaber]

Naturally, the entire media, in unison, are focusing on this story and beating it to death. Because I wanted info about the whole Georgia/Russia spat I turned the TV to Fox News, and they had someone from the friggin' National Enquirer blabbing about the story.

Jeez Louise this country's media absolutely sucks.

[HardRCafé]

When you consider how close this guy got to being both President and Vice President, I don't think it's disproportionate at all.  A little late.  A lot late.  But not disproportionate.

[J. J.]

This is hardly better than cheating on your crippled wife with a rich beer heiress so that you can launch your political career, but that doesn't excuse it at all. It's really none of our business though. He is though an asshole for running for President after this. What an October surprise this would have been.

Actually, she's not "crippled," though she was in an accident while John McCain was a Prisoner of War.  Carol said this terrible thing about John:  "He’s a good guy. We are still good friends. He is the best man for president."

I don't call one of my old girlfriends a "good girl."

Are you seriously trying to justify McCain here? "He's a good guy"? Seems like thinly veiled resentment to me.

No just quoting exactly and correcting the revisionist history.  Carol McCain isn't disabled, wasn't disabled at the time they divorced, and, unlike many ex-spouses, is supporting McCain this year.

[Sam Spade]

Having read his "statement" again, I am literally amazed by the amount of "legal outs" he can put into just a few paragraphs.  Especially about the paternity thingy.

[Hash]

This summer is really awful. I can't wait until we can get the Edwards/VP/Rumours crap over with.

[Torie]

Well per ABC news Hunter bought a 3 million dollar pad in Santa Barbara after the affair. Maybe she won a lottery ticket. Edwards said he went to the Beverly Hilton to try to persuade Hunter to keep her lips shut.

And there you have it. No ongoing affair and no money from Edwards to Hunter. It is time to move on.

[??????????]

Well per ABC news Hunter bought a 3 million dollar pad in Santa Barbara after the affair. Maybe she won a lottery ticket. Edwards said he went to the Beverly Hilton to try to persuade Hunter to keep her lips shut.

And there you have it. No ongoing affair and no money from Edwards to Hunter. It is time to move on.

Yeah, sounds like the be all and end all to me.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

My reaction to this....

Edwards tried to cover up a shameful part of his life, he apparently told his wife and family almost immediately (which was the right thing to do).

Having said that... THANK F**K! He isn't the nominee.

[J. J.]

My reaction to this....

Edwards tried to cover up a shameful part of his life, he apparently told his wife and family almost immediately (which was the right thing to do).

Having said that... THANK F**K! He isn't the nominee.

Had he said, "That's between myself and my wife," or "I'm not going to answer that," or, heaven forbid, told the truth, who would care?  I wouldn't. 

This isn't about Edwards having an affair, it's about him lying about it.  Neither McCain nor Obama have a spotless moral record, but they are both up from about it.

[Sarnstrom]

Well I'm saddened by the news but it doesn't really bother me much. I still like Edwards and think he would make a great Attorney General or some other cabinet position. I really doubt that this ends his career.

[Conan]

I would have rather seen him admit he was gay.........that's a fugly woman

Elizabeth Edwards:



Rielle Hunter:



Hunter is a step up from Elizabeth Edwards, no?  (Yes, the more recent pictures of Hunter are much worse, but that was during / after she was pregnant.)

Perhaps you could have chosen a photo of Elizabeth not from the press conference where they announced that her cancer had returned and would kill her?

You're comparison is sickening.

[NOVA Green]

Well I'm saddened by the news but it doesn't really bother me much. I still like Edwards and think he would make a great Attorney General or some other cabinet position. I really doubt that this ends his career.

I doubt he'll win elected office again, Democrats can and will turn on their own. I could see him serving in a high level non-elected government position however.... it will take some time for rehabilitation.

[Ogre Mage]

I read this quote back during the run-up to the Iowa Caucuses and it now seems prescient.  These Iowa voters sensed something was off even then:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/28/AR2007012801321_2.html

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Edwards ran for President and lied about his affair, something which could have severely damaged our chances if it had come out while he was on the ticket.  I have long been a skeptic of his and unfortunately my skepticism has been confirmed.

[HardRCafé]

This isn't about Edwards having an affair, it's about him lying about it.

No, all lying is OK.  Republicans only care about sex.  Remember your talking points.

Well I'm saddened by the news but it doesn't really bother me much. I still like Edwards

Whatever for?  Not being a Republican?  That's about all that's left.

[J. J.]

This isn't about Edwards having an affair, it's about him lying about it.

No, all lying is OK.  Republicans only care about sex.  Remember your talking points.

Sorry, they don't mail those talking points to Republicans, just to the Democrats after one gets caught.

[Eraserhead]

Naturally, the entire media, in unison, are focusing on this story and beating it to death. Because I wanted info about the whole Georgia/Russia spat I turned the TV to Fox News, and they had someone from the friggin' National Enquirer blabbing about the story.

Jeez Louise this country's media absolutely sucks.

^^^^

Seriously.

[HardRCafé]

As I just said in that post - they've tried to run this story before and it's been proven BS

I must have missed this.  How was it "proven"?

[JSojourner]

I was so sad to hear this news.  Sad for Elizabeth, sad for the Edwards' children and sad for John Edwards himself.  He must be a very, very small little man to have stabbed his devoted wife in the back like this.  Shame on him.

[Democratic Hawk]

Very disappointed in Edwards

[Sam Spade]

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/john_edwards_sex_more_lies_videotape_/celebrity/65288

[elcorazon]

This is hardly better than cheating on your crippled wife with a rich beer heiress so that you can launch your political career, but that doesn't excuse it at all. It's really none of our business though. He is though an asshole for running for President after this. What an October surprise this would have been.

Actually, she's not "crippled," though she was in an accident while John McCain was a Prisoner of War.  Carol said this terrible thing about John:  "He’s a good guy. We are still good friends. He is the best man for president."

I don't call one of my old girlfriends a "good girl."

just so you realize the relevance of this point... elizabeth is still a big supporter of John Edwards.

[Mr. Morden]

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/08/15/edwards_cover_up_continues.html

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[Sam Spade]

^^^

The only reason I keep posting on this story is because the depth of the problems are only beginning.  It is plainly obvious.

[Mr. Morden]

What the heck?  This is truly bizarre.  I just noticed that, at least for a while, Hunter lived with Andrew Young (the alleged father of her baby) and his wife:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/us/politics/15edwards.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

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Is is the least bit plausible that Mrs. Young would agree to that kind of living arrangement if Hunter was really Young's mistress (or ex-mistress) and Young was really the father of the baby?

[Mr. Morden]

Last year when the first allegations of an affair surfaced in the Enquirer, Edwards apparently tried to guilt trip the Charlotte News & Observer into not covering the story by bringing up Elizabeth's cancer:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2711/story/1181346.html

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