I hope the stress doesn't kill his wife.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/ap_on_.../edwards_affair

Here's another article with a photo

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-an-affair.html

He's always reminded me of an Elmer Gantry-like characature.
I've recoiled from this guy's grease since the get-go. Ick

Frankly I hardly batted an eyelash at this. Not surprised. Nothing much does any more.

I am so very disappointed in John. I campaigned for him. One thing nice that came out of it was that I sent his wife an email re: the loss of their son. I had lost a daughter and wanted to extend my comfort. She was nice enough to email me back and occasionally stays in contact via email.
I wish I could be more of a forgiving person, but having been in relationships where lies ended them, I have no forgiveness for infidelity left in my soul.

K A R M A .........will get him in the end if not before.

I understand how these things can happen but...................
You have GOT to put your intellect over the emotion. Besides............like Chardkay says...........
These things WILL come back on you. Blessings or Cursings...........you choose!

I feel bad for him now. I reallly do. When things all come out........it's no longer any fun. He'll have a big price to pay and that's painful.

I was just telling my neighbor that I am not floored that men will cheat; I AM floored that someone would spend MILLIONS to try to become president and set themselves up for a sure failure of it. No one can be this egotistical, can they?

One of the things that really boils my blood is the fact that his friends and "supporters" funnel money into the "baby momma's" company every month to keep her quiet.

Don't these politicians know better? If they want to screw around, you would think they could at least wear protection. I guess their arrogance supecedes everything.

It's not the affair that offends me, but the hypocrisy -- on all sides.

It's interesting that he denies paternity and says he will take a DNA test, making him look like a good guy. The mother refuses to allow the baby to be tested. So it's rather pointless without testing the baby.

Because a married staffer supposedly claims to be the father, I find it strange that Edwards would secretly visit this woman in the middle of the night at a hotel to see the baby if it wasn't his.

Oh, well, it's back to the drawing board for Obama in his search for a veep.

Big Ick indeed .... Check out what he had to say about Clinton back in the good ole days .....

It would just seem to me that if you were seriously into politics as a career.............you'd better make sure that you're living in a glass house and that it's in ORDER!

Of course...........once you're into that political thang.............it's all about POWER AND CONTROL..........POWER and MONEY are the biggest aphrodesiacs there are.

I'm so glad he admitted it....to his wife. And I think it's entirely understandable that she would want to work it out privately, and keep it out of the press, as she has made clear she wants to do. And beyond that, it's none of anyone else's business.

FWIW, I don't think Obama was ever seriously considering Edwards for a running mate.

I'm not surprised. This seems to be par for the course with many men who are in powerful positions. Frankly, I don't think the wives of these men are surprised either. Unfortunately, the whole thing is now being publicized. When these guys say they are "sorry", what they are really saying is that they are sorry they got caught.

But...politicians have done worse things, haven't they?

I remember him having a $500 haircut, and constantly preening himself,...and saying that he will fight the poverty.
Why do such people become senators? - if he wouldn't be a senator, no one would care about his affairs. but now, one lie leads to another, first a woman who , apparently had no qualifications for it is making some advertising film for his campaign, gets well paid by a taxpayer, than one on his staff claims that he is a father of her baby, amazing loyalty! than it goes even better, anonymous friends pay good money to keep that lady living a very comfortable life, also amazing! What were they promised for their payments, what favors?

Now he is still denying he is a father, but what difference does it make by the way?. He is offering to do a DNA test, but the mother of a baby refuses to test a baby...

And just two weeks ago he looked so sincerely to the camera , and said that it is all lies, gutter journalism, he was never hiding in the hotel's toilet at night from journalists. I hope those journalists can take him to court for damaging their reputations by calling them liers. LOL!

Now, If you are a public figure you have to be an idiot to think that your private life will not be under constant scrutiny, the question is how such idiots become senators?

Politely disagreeing, but the question is not how they become senators, but why their private lives are any of our business.

the $64,000 question is why bother to cheat ? some sort of funky malignant narcissism ? do they honestly think they are truly ten feet tall and bullet proof ? does the lure of power go to one's head , raging stupidity?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Seriously, it takes tremendous ego on anyone's part (and I do mean anyone) to think that he or she is the person who should be the leader of the free world, or a powerful senator or what have you. With this tremendous self-confidence often comes more than a small dose of narcissism. It crosses party lines. They all have it.

Amen, it does take a certain sort.

I think the answer is that they're human, plain and simple, like the rest of us. The cheating stats for men and women alike, I believe, are significant, in all walks of life. It's just that we hold politicians to a higher standard, and I'm not sure why that is. If it doesn't interfere with their jobs, who cares?

but high stakes should dictate keeping it in thier pants , no ? why risk? surely no romp is worth all the hard work and image building going down teh toilet ? hence the assessment of thier foolhardy behavior

as for the rest of us , I have no stats , your point is fair cath , but the stakes are not as high , high enough but not on that level. Lets face it , most of the unwashed masses sooner or later have to face teh music , its just that the media isnt playing.

High stakes SHOULD dictate caution, yes, IF they want to get elected by a populace who thinks it's their business to judge candidates on this kind of thing. I just don't think it's any of my business and, frankly, I don't care what John Edwards or any other politician does in his or her private sex life. It has nothing to do with their ability to govern, and I really believe that. And as for hypocrisy, it's all on our side, I think -- meaning the side of the indignant voter. I don't recall that John Edwards has ever attacked anyone else for personal stumbles.

Now that is the bit that I find hilarious , why am I here ? in this thread ? not my goobermint

remember when Bubba got into trouble back in the day ? if that had happened up here we would be snickering up our sleeves and not much else ( it WAS Chretien in power after all)


Cath did you click the link in my first post on this thread ? He did indeed have a wee bit to say about Bubba ....those innocent days of Mister Edwards.

It can be done, and safely. All they have to do is pick a woman with every bit as much to lose as they have. Instead, they go for downmarket types who don't know how they'll be earning a living in five years. And then if you throw in some rejection, as is bound to happen, well, scorned woman and the opportunity for a nest egg? Handwriting on the wall, fellows!

Now, the highly placed married mother of young children would be an entirely different story.

Pay attention, fellas!

Edwards hasn't been on Obama's short list for Veep for many reasons, I've heard from a high-up Dem insider. I've always disliked something about John Edwards and figured he was a hypocrite loong ago. It's hard to like people who flaunt their wealth, live large, then embark on a 'Poverty Tour.' *puke* And the Edwards built the biggest, most ghastly house in South Carolina. Edwards is a phony in the same way Al Gore is with his giant energy wasting houses private jets, limos, and pioneer company to sell 'carbon credits.'

Sure, the kid is Edwards'. Really, no guy goes to meet with a broad and her baby at a hotel in the middle of the night for no real reason. They had to discuss strategy and how much she'd be paid off and it couldn't be done on the phone! There's nothing much 'to' Edwards. he's a typical super-rich ambulance chaser and his life was all about his and Elizabeth's ambition, not about the people of S.C. or the U.S.A. Better we learn it sooner than later, sayeth this major Obama supporter.

Meh , I see this as just another episode of "Politicians Behaving Badly"

I certainly do not blame his wife for wanting to save the marriage and handle it privately. She has the most to loose!

I misread the OP!

You "tell it like it is", Morty!!~

Well..............South Carolina has GREAT Beach music. The shag!

Forgive me for digressing! Seafood ain't bad either! Not to mention BBQ

Why don't these politicians use condoms? If they did, Chandra Levy, Mary Jo Kopechne, Pixie Grismore, Lori Klausutis--- to name a few--- would still be alive.

I also agree that it is none of our business, of course it is none of anybody's business, but reality is such that in US politics a big part of electorate thinks that a big deal, so if you decide to be a senator, you have to play by the rules.

Just want to add that when I vote I don't care if a candidate loves his wife or his mistress, it is a private matter.

Excellent post, Morticia.

The person I really feel for in all of this is, of course, Elizabeth Edwards. The woman is battling cancer and now she has this embarassing situation being played out in public. And she has young children to raise as well.

I think I'm most angry at Edwards because of what he's done to his wife and kids. Otherwise, I don't really care what he does with his zipper.

It's the misappropriation of campaign funds to finance his affair that bothers me most. For better or worse, that's the man Elizabeth married; I don't care about his behavior in his private life either.

My problem with this type of thing is we have here a person who cheated on his wife and lied to the public, which means we know he is a person who will cheat and lie to achieve his desires. This is not a characteristic I would want in an individual who holds the public trust.

Well, as far as I'm concerned (and yes, this is terribly jaded) but all politicians lie. For me, it's a given, and I hold no illusions otherwise. They all lie and most of them cheat to one extent or another.

bella, you have a great point about misappropriation of funds. That's a huge negative on Edwards in this whole thing.

I was never really a fan of his, but I imagine most of his supporters must be very let down.

You know, the French have alleged that Americans smile too much. Too quickly, too broadly, too easily, too often, too early in a relationship.

Senator Edwards is a perfect case-in-pont. His constant, big s***-eating grin always made me uncomfortable...

I feel sorry for his wife. She has gone through so much with her own disease without having to worry about her children and IF this person might just be raising them if and when she passes.

What nerve.....to say that she loves John Edwards & has hopes of marrying him! I heard that on the news yesterday not once, but twice and it infuriated me!

Edwards confessed to becoming narcissistic and full of himself.

Personally, I don't care what he does, but HE should care about what he does and whom he has hurt in his selfishness.

And yes, paying this woman all this money so she could travel on the road with him? I'd be upset if money I gave for campaining was used for rolling around with some floozy!

She doesn't seem like a very *discreet* person! You know what, I think that she told him it was his kid, told the other guy it was kid, and maybe the kid belongs to neither of them!

A blood test would prove who is NOT the father.....maybe that is what worries her, that her lies will face her head on!

Maybe this Aide or whatever he is, is taking the fall for Edwards....but I don't like her attitude at all.

He has used monies funneled to him for *very personal* motives. He has caused these people to feel like fools because they trusted in him.

example: I saw some people give a homeless person some money one day. Later on, I went to the
7-11 to get a soda and I saw the same homeless guy walking out of the store with a 12 or 24 pack of beer!

I think if those people had seen where their money went, when they gave it thinking it would go to feed him or help him *better* himself in some way, they would never give to him again.

It made ME not want to give to those on the street again. Not after what I saw!

So I imagine those who contributed BIG are not feeling good about this at all!

Besides all that, didn't he give his wife a second thought through out all this? To how she would feel if she ever found out?!!!

And he lied about it all....naturally...most people would have, but it all came out anyway, which makes him look even worse!

He put down Clinton for what he did, and now he is in the same category.

I bet the other party will somehow be to blame for this.

$500.00 for a fricking haircut???? Oh my goodness.....who *does* he think he is? THAT in itself should have raised a few eyebrows! If you are that frivolous with money....to pay that much for a HAIRCUT, where will you draw the line when you are in office?

Well said. I thought the same.

Yup.

The only difference is that some are stupid enough to get caught, or do stupid things that ensure they'll get caught. So for me the value judgment isn't dishonesty, it's stupidity.

Since they ultimately wind up paying for the sex in one way or the other, I don't understand why politicians don't use high class call girls.

Not a strategy that worked for Eliot Spitzer.

I find the stragedy that works best is the gambit Paterson used, nothing like trumping the press yourself.

ITA.

Paterson: Hey, reporters, look at me! I had an affair too--lots of them!
Press: (yawn) Ho hum...
Moral: Honesty is the best policy; nobody is interested in honesty.

THat was my point as well.

It only matters because he spent millions of dollars running a presidential campaign all the while knowing that if this info came out, it would sink his political career. It matters because it shows very poor judgment and that he was willing to put himself into a situation that could end up making him a victim of blackmail. Who knows what government secrets he might brag about to his mistresses in post-coital bliss. It matters because a stable marital and family life is helpful to someone facing the stress of running a country, and having to juggle clandestine meetings in secret secure locations outside of the White House, lying to his wife, making exorbitant pay-offs to hush adulterous lovers, has got to be a major preoccupation that would interfere with his ability to think clearly. I think that he and this woman agreed that if the affair and child came to light, he would offer a paternity test and she would decline it - that would make him look like the bigger man while she would continue to protect his little secret. Or maybe she declined because she's collecting hush money/child support from multiple "fathers".