Is it payback time for Edwards?

   WASHINGTON — So for at least some of the time when he was advocating "one America," John Edwards had two women.

   Edwards admitted so much today, proving that the National Enquirer can be, like a broken clock, at least partially right some of the time.

   The Enquirer weeks ago claimed that Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential candidate, fathered a "love child" with 42-year-old Rielle Hunter.

   Edwards denies the child part and the love part while admitting to having an affair with the woman.

   Oh, and meanwhile, Edwards' wife was and still is suffering from a potentially deadly form of cancer.

   Now that's a scandal, right? But what about this? Edwards' political action committee paid Hunter's company, "Midline Groove Productions LLC," $114,461 to produce four YouTube videos on his political appearances.

   So if you had donated to Edwards' One America PAC — which sort of served as his presidential campaign-in-waiting back in 2006 — would you want your money back?

— Jerry Zremski

   

Comments

[AdelleX]

I really liked John Edwards, so this is a sad story... and this probably nixes any chance he might have had at securing a cabinet post in an Obama administration.

The fact, however, is this. John Edwards is no longer running for anything. Apparently, Edwards *did* tell his wife, Elizabeth, that he had the affair (he told her in 2006!); as such, this is really none of our business. This is a matter for the Edwards family to work out. There is NO indication that he broke any rules or laws. Unfortunately, sometimes things happen in marriages... that is for John and Elizabeth to work out (and, from all appearances it looks as though they *did* work this out; that's their business). If Edwards had wound up as the presidential candidate, this might be fair game -- but he isn't, so it's not.

And I don't recall the press going after Newt Gingrich with this ferocity when he unceremoniously *dumped* (for good!) his dying wife for a younger, better version. And if we're going to get all holier-than-thou about extra-marital affairs, how about a big story about Senator McCain -- who IS a current presidential contender -- and his *current* wife Cindy, who were carrying on an affair while John McCain was married to his first wife (and apparently, McCain was, at the time, catting around with *many* "other women").

McCain's first wife remained loyal to him while he was in Vietnam. She had been a model and was very beautiful; she had been in a serious car accident, however, that left her with a limp and somewhat heavier than she had been when McCain went away. He returned to a slightly older, plumper wife and quickly went on the town seeking greener pastures, which he apparently found with his current wife Cindy, who was not only much younger than he was, but she was an heiress to boot! The TWO of them carried on an extra-marital affair, and McCain eventually traded in the loyal old wife (and the children that he'd produced with her) for a newer and far richer model. Now THAT is a story that would seem relavent, since it does speak to the character of a current presidential candidate (which Edwards is not). So, Jerry, how about a blog on that seamy little scandal??

[BobbyCat]

A foreign journalist once asked French President (Mitterand, I believe) about his extramatrital affair with a young woman. He replied :"Yes, and what is your point?"
Nobody in Europe pays much attention to what adults do in private. They treat sexuality with maturity, not as some salacious scandal.

The American press seizes upon an affair as some kind of mortal sentence to hell. The mayor of Detroit is facing hard time in prison because he lied about love notes exchanged with a coworker. This is crazy.

Bill Clinton was impeached for a secret affair and was excoriated, while Bush lied us into a war where thousands have died and a country destroyed and he's traveling the world having a good old time. That is crazier still.

Our national obsession with sex should be confined to the pulp rags in the supermarket.
I wish this country would grow up.

[Mike P.]

Wow....this guy can lie to the faces of Americans while has no position of authority, I wonder the seriousness of the type of lies he would make if president. If people criticize Bush for lying; then this man no longer has any credibility.

[Texas Kid]

What's suprising about this whole story is that a joke of a paper like the National Enquirer broke this. Did the National Enquirer also get the lowdown on Client #9 Eliot Spitzer and Kristen too?? Says a lot about the sad state of affairs in the main stream press these days. That includes the LA Times where a lot of this took place two weeks ago in the Beverly Hills Hilton, the North Carolina media who didn't know??? What next, that stuff in the Midnight Globe about Bill Clinton and George W. Bush standing with aliens is true too???

[W]

Seems like politicians and their apparent preference for extra-marital trysts are being outed left and right now, doesn't it? I think the problem is that these people think they are above the rest of us and will somehow get away with their actions in their good ole boys club. They seem to consider themselves untouchable. Its telling me something about American politics, thats for sure.

[EndOfAnErrorJan2009]

It's amazing that sex is still a 'scandal.' But lying to Americans in an effort to start an illegal war in Iraq that results in tens of thousands of deaths is not. We've been had.

[Don H]

You really have to admire a guy who can lie with that everlasting grin on his face.

[Ellen]

Wow! A married man had an affair. Now that's earth-shattering news. It's too bad. But stuff happens and I think there are more marriages where people have had affairs than marriages where no one has. Politicians live in the public eye but it's really something the Edwards need to work out amongst themselves. No hypocrisy in public speeches though. The public hates hypocritical morality.

[mark]

I am not condoning this. Again, the cover-up seems worse than the crime. At some point he had to know it would come out. That being said a lot of Americans need to look in the mirror and think about their divorces or all the attorneys that earn a living from strained relationships every day. As for John McCain, he has admitted his failings, but then again most Americans can't even comprehend the hell he went through in a Vietnam prison camp for years. For the under 35 crowd, it is old news clips on TV, unless you had a friend or family member there. We need to remember the circumstances and sacrifice that was present in the years he lost serving the country or the war injuries he endures til this day.

[MS]

well one good thing about Edwards is that he wasnt in a airport bathroom trying to pick up a man or sending naughty emails to young male page's in DC unlike some family values republicans..

[carl]

MS
Another one of your worthless posts, this is not a left or right issue. If it was one could point out the king of whoremasters JFK, he had more young starlets and mob hookers than anyone. The press had some class back then unlike today.
I have to give Bill O'reily credit he showed the most class re; Edwards, while CNN and MSNBC went tabloid. Washington has always been power, sex and money, nothing new here.

[MS]

correction on my last post "you" should have been "your".

[Rick]

Incredible- Edwards does something reprehensible, and those on the left circle the wagons. There is nothing mature about excusing an extramarital affair. I seem to recall Vito Fosella doing the same thing, and the GOP was pretty quick to pitch him over. And, the GOP also distanced themselves from Foley, while Craig isn't exactly welcome. Meanwhile, the Dems continues to support Gerry Studds, who was actually caught having sex with a male page, and Barney Frank was busted running a brothel out of his DC home. I guess it just depends what letter is after your name. There's no excusing an extramarital affair, period- something about "Till death do you part" that should carry some weight. However, this isn't just a sad story- it again goes to the very character of someone who thought they were capable of being President.

[MS]

the point is that you can expect this from the Dems but not people who preach family values. Dems have been doing this since JFK. I am not surprised at all that a trial lawyer did something bad.

[AdelleX]

There you go again, Rick, with your hypocritical holier-than-thou crap.

Nobody is excusing Edwards' actions, but Edwards (ulike McCain who also had extra-marital affiars, while married to his first wife, including one with his current wife Cindy) is not currently in public office. As such, this is none of our business. This is between Edwards and his wife. End of story.

Besides, as for the "till death do us part" business, Edwards has not left his wife, nor has she left him. The affair occurred in 2006 and that's when Edwards told his family. They seem to have worked it out, and there is no idication that they are splitting up, so your point makes no sense.

And really, please don't act as though the Rethuglicans are clean and clear on this issue, because they're not. Your presidential candidate and his current wife, in fact, carried on an extra-marital affair, while McCain was still married to his first wife. And McCain, unlike Edwards, *did* leave his first wife, for the younger and much richer Cindy (thereby breaking that "till death do us part" vow). If Edwards' affair speaks somehow to his character (and I'm not saying whether or not it does, since it's really none of my business), then surely the McCain affair speaks to *his* character! And McCain, unlike Edwards, has a chance to become our future president!

And what about Republican Congressman, David Vitter. He carried on an affair with a prostitute (several times!), yet he is still in Congress, and I've not seen any indication of the holier-than-thou Republicans drumming him out or casting him aside. And then there's Republican heroes, like Newt Gingrich, who did, in fact, leave his dieing wife for another woman (again, what about that "till death do us part" vow???). I could go on and on, but you get the idea...

Grown-ups realize that, unfortunately, things sometimes happen even in the best of marriages. Elizabeth and John seem to have worked this out, and that's their business. Good for them that they decided that they loved one another enough to stick it out, instead of rushing to divorce!

Anyone who thinks that this sort of thing is fodder for *public* outrage is acting like a child. It's sad, but even the best and longest of marriages have a variety of "bumps" to endure. I've never had an affair, and as far as I know, neither has my husband, but I would hope that if one of us slipped up, our love and our marriage would be strong enough that we'd be able to work through the problem, as the Edwards family seems to have done.

Really, are you even married, Rick? My guess would be no.

[AdelleX]

I meant Republican *Senator* Vitter (not congressman).

[AdelleX]

Also, soliciting prostitutes, as Republican Sentor Vitter and Dem Gov. Spitzer did, *is* illegal (not to mention tremendously hypocritical for each of these men!).

As such, these cases are entirely different than someone like Edwards having a private affair with a consenting adult (a simple affair is a moral transgression, not a legal transgression).

[Don H]

It's also legal grounds for a divorce action.

[AdelleX]

Yes, Don H, that's true. But, thus far, there is absolutely NO indication that Edwards and his wife are divorcing. They seemed to have worked it out; that's their business -- and I say, good for them for *not* rushing into divorce as so many do today. Unless we're talking physical abuse, or repeated transgressions, I admire couples that endeavor to work through their marital problems and issues (thereby taking that "till death do us part" vow seriously).

[MS]

Adelle, dont forget Newt Gengrich had his wife signing divorce papers while she was on her death bed. To think that one party holds the morale card is false and conservatives need to stop falling for that same morale trick over and over.

[AdelleX]

Exactly, MS. And with McCain and Cindy at the top of their ticket (both of whom were carrying on an affair, while McCain was still married to his first wife), I really don't think that the Republicans are going to want to push the whole "infedilitly" issue too hard; if they do, they'll get what they deserve for their hypocrisy.

[AdelleX]

Of course, I meant "infidelity issue." I keep making typos!

[Rick]

I never said that Republicans were clean on this issue, nor do I think that Republicans who do this deserve any sympathy. But spare me the symapthy for someone who clearly knew what he was doing was wrong. And, does anyone really believe his deial that the child is his? He first told us that he didn't have an affair, now he fesses up. no, grown-ups honor commitments made to others. There are millions of people who make their way through various relationships- both personal and professional- without violating the trust of the other party. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Don't give me these lines about affairs being "bumps" in the road. Arguments are bumps. Affairs are not.

[Texas Kid]

Now I read where Howard Wolfson, Hillary's campaign spokesman, says that if the main stream media exposed this story last October like the National Enquirer did, Hillary might have won Iowa and she might just be the Democratic nomineee for President. She was third behind Edwards in Iowa by 0.4% and a second place / first place showing there might have taken the wind out of Obama's victory there. The National Media did bury the story. Too bad for Hillary!!! Boo Hoo Hoo!! Well, at least she can help you NY taxpayers by offering up new innovative ideas for getting that awful budget deficit down besides raising taxes.

[AdelleX]

Yes, I believe him when he says that the baby isn't his, until there is proof otherwise. This woman carried on an affair with *another* married man (after Edwards) who claims paternity. Clearly this woman is one of those sick people who *intentionally* carry on affairs with one married person after another; as such, it seems entirely logical (probable!) that the baby belongs to this *other* married man or to somebody else! You can't claim that the baby is Edwards, until there is proof. He's willing to take a paternity test... And again, Edwards is NOT a candidate for president anymore, so this is none of our business.

And again, Rick, are you even married?? My guess is no. Why didn't you answer?

I repeat: this is between Edwards and his wife. Is it okay that John and Cindy McCain were having a fling while John was married to his first wife (McCain's affair and subsequent divorce, by the way, devasted his first wife)?