Sen. John Edwards today admitted having an affair with Reille Hunter and publicly lying about it while he was a presidential candidate.
Here’s a man who claimed to be committed to his wife, his Democratic Party and his country, and he failed everyone in every way. (He says he’s not the father of Hunter’s baby, but who cares? He also says he didn’t start the affair until his wife Elizabeth’s cancer was in remission, so that’s nice.)
Man, what a scumbag. And holy Jesus, could the Democratic mainstream media have done any more to hide this story when it mattered? I guess they were too busy digging up John McCain’s non-affair and publishing the innuendo in The New York Times.
Journalistic ethics. The rule should be to publish such stories only after a few bright red lines (allegations of cover-up money, sexual abuse or obstruction of justice, for example) have been crossed. In practice, the rule is to publish such stories for any reason when it's about a Republican, but to wait until the whorehouse is falling down when it's a Democrat.
The National Enquirer first reported the Edwards affair last Oct. 11. “It’s completely untrue,” Mr. “Two Americas” said then. Even then there was a hint that money had exchanged hands -- Hunter was given a largely fake campaign job. Did anyone in the press at least check that out?
Imagine if Edwards were about to accept his party’s nomination this month. Or imagine if he were the nominee and it was the day before Election Day.
Frank Warner
The man has more ability to forgive himself than a college quarterback. We create these monsters with our unmitigated adulation.
Americans are becoming harder to shock. Think about Gingrich and Giuliani, both of whom actually had supporters in their campaigns for the highest office in the land. What did they do that was different? Never let it be said that voting in America is an easy task. The choices are not often palatable. And that's just what we know about.
Obama, I think, is cool on this score. He would never have the guts to cross his wife.
Posted by: jj mollo | August 09, 2008 at 07:20 PM
The weird thing about Edwards is, this is what I expected from him. He always seemed far too slick. What surprises me is that anyone wanted to vote for someone that obviously in love with himself.
And true, with Obama, you don't get that vibe. There's a big ego there, yes, but it seems much more responsible. Michelle will keep Barack in check, I hope, and not just in sexual matters.
Posted by: Frank Warner | August 09, 2008 at 07:55 PM
Interesting - over at another blog, they note that Edwards' wife admits that she knew of this in 2006 - so, she was assisting in his cover-up of the affair....
Fun fun!
Posted by: Jonathan | August 10, 2008 at 09:10 AM
And true, with Obama, you don't get that vibe. There's a big ego there, yes, but it seems much more responsible.
I agree, Obama has an ego the size of Alaska but at least he doesn't seem to be in love with himself like so many politicians. As for his wife, however, she's plainly even more radical than he is politically and socially. The only thing she's likely to hold him back from in those areas is becoming too moderated and liberal as opposed to leftist.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor | August 10, 2008 at 12:31 PM
It's sad we're even talking about this, but a man with power abused that power by diverting money from a charity and from his campaign to pay for a mistress.
As far as what Elizabeth Edwards "knew" in 2006, she "knew" her husband said he had an affair. She didn't know the affair would start up again and that her husband would continue to lie about that.
She also didn't know John probably would produce a baby from the renewed affair, and he'd lie about that.
His lying isn't over.
Posted by: Frank Warner | August 10, 2008 at 01:43 PM