After months of speculation — and, let’s face it, lies — John Edwards has admitted to having an affair with Rielle Hunter but denies that he fathered her child.
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Friday admitted to an extramarital affair while his wife was battling cancer. He denied fathering the woman’s daughter.
Edwards told ABC News that he lied repeatedly about the affair with a 42-year-old woman but said that he didn’t love her. He said he has not taken a paternity test but knows he isn’t the father because of the timing of the affair and the birth.
ABC said a former Edwards campaign staffer claims he is the father, not Edwards.
Edwards was a top contender for the Democratic nomination for president, pursuing his party’s nod even after announcing that his wife, Elizabeth, had a deadly form of cancer.
Well, at least he doesn’t love her.
Ugh. What a sad mess.
We have further confirmation, though: that the National Enquirer is more believable than the New York Times.
Blogger Reax:
- John Hawkins is a strong contender for Least Tasteful Headline: “Silky Pony Admits To Lesbian Affair With Rielle Hunter: Mainstream Media & Kos Hardest Hit.”
- Tom Maguire wins the Best (If Obvious) Pun Award: “Oh, get Rielle.He Did Not Have Paternal Relations With That Woman.
- Steve Benen has the same reaction as most of us, I suspect: “I will never, ever understand what someone in John Edwards’ position was thinking.”
- Sister Toldjah: “The mainstream mediots dropped the ball on this one, an we all know why (hint: The “D” in “D-NC”).”
- Joe Sudbay: “I’m not condemning Edwards. I don’t care. But, if the GOPers or the traditional media decide to make a big issue out of this one, I have one question: Where’s Vicki Iseman?” [The woman who denies having had an affair with John McCain and whom McCain denies having an affair with despite sleezy front page charges in the NYT? The one that was nonetheless talked about for several days during this campaign despite the alleged affair happening in 2000? That Vicki Iseman? – ed.]
- Jim Geraghty: “If you’ve got bad news, put it out late on a Friday*. Like, you know, admitting an affair when you’ve been insisting for weeks that the rumor was ‘tabloid trash.’”
- Alex Pareene: “[H]e didn’t love her. So it’s not cheating!”
- Kevin Drum: “Mainstream media, you may now begin covering this story.”
- Michelle Malkin wonders, “Does this mean he’ll get to speak at the DNC now? The other big Democrat liar/cheater’s already secured his spot, you know. “
Many more at Memeorandum: TalkLeft, The Swamp, Little Green Footballs, Jonathan Martin’s Blogs, The Jawa Report, Top of the Ticket, New York Post, Ben Smith’s Blogs, TMZ.com, Gawker, TVNewser, Political Machine, Washington Post, Don Surber, TIME.com, QandO, Wake up America, PSoTD, PoliticalBase.com Blog, Macsmind, JammieWearingFool, Stop The ACLU, Gateway Pundit, Ed Driscoll.com, Readers’ Representative … and National Review
I believe it’s shower time.
UPDATE: David Bonior lets Edwards have it with both barrels.
David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager for his 2008 presidential bid, said Friday he was disappointed and angry after hearing about Edwards’ confession. “Thousands of friends of the senators and his supporters have put their faith and confidence in him and he’s let them down,” said Bonior, a former congressman from Michigan. “They’ve been betrayed by his action.”
Asked whether the affair would damage Edwards’ future aspirations in public service, Bonior replied: “You can’t lie in politics and expect to have people’s confidence.”
Although, as Malkin notes, Bill Clinton managed to do it. Even after being impeached and confessing to his lies, he enjoyed tremendous popularity. Then again, Edwards isn’t Clinton. And Clinton’s wife wasn’t battling cancer, either.
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