BREAKING: ABC via Fox reporting Edwards admitting to affair

[Holly_Hobby]

but did not father child. No link yet.

Edit: No paternity test taken.

[book_worm]

1. I'll wait until I actually see Edwards admit it rather than take FAUX word.

[Holly_Hobby]

4. He talked to Bob Woodward

on Dateline tonight.

[book_worm]

23. okay, thank you.

[davidnc76]

51. Nightline on ABC

[Holly_Hobby]

59. Thanks, my hearing is off from sinus problem n/t

[seemslikeadream]

5. ...

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&page=1

[Holly_Hobby]

6. Thanks, you're a doll

:hi:

[book_worm]

26. apparently he admitted all in 2006 even to Elizabeth, but he insists the baby isn't his, but then

why was he recently in CA at the Beverly Hills Hotel visiting this woman and apparently seen holding the baby if he's not the father? Heck, never mind that, what is he doing visiting this woman--period.

[Holly_Hobby]

75. National Enquirer Editor on Fox now.....

says no name on birth certificate for father. Baby is not Edward's aide's. Won't reveal sources. Edwards refusing paternity test.

[LisaL]

80. If baby is not Edwards, considering Edwards admitted to the

affair, why not take a paternity test and clear it all right up? And whoever the father is, wouldn't father have to pay child support?

[The Straight Story]

2. It will get more coverage than the russia/georgia story probably

We don't have a news media anymore, we just have entertainment media.

[seemslikeadream]

3. my prayers are with you

Elizabeth

[LaurenG]

7. Mine too. nt

[jesus_of_suburbia]

19. My thoughts are with Elizabeth.

I love her (as much as you can love someone you don't know in the political spotlight), and it pains me to think of what she must be going through.

[Virginia Dare]

25. They may have had an understanding, you never know....n/t

[seemslikeadream]

36. I don't have to imagine

I know

[Marie26]

34. Mine too. nt

[Virginia Dare]

8. How does FUX get this information before anybody else?...n/t

[Arnold Judas Rimmer]

FAUX's motivation for this is obvious.

Edwards was likely to be the next Attorney General, and go after the corporate media. Now, probably not.

[Virginia Dare]

17. NOt to mention the CIA is about to blow the lid off the White House...n/t

[John Kerry VonErich]

77. ABC broke the story, not Fox

nt

[Holly_Hobby]

83. I'm playing the Polish card

I do everything, and I mean everything, backwards. :)

[John Kerry VonErich]

91. Thats Polish Power for ya.

:silly:

[Mabus]

18. Information is picked up through illegal wiretaps on ordinary citizens

and information that the GOP's minions think will be hurtful to Democrats is forwarded to the White House. The White House looks over the information they receive and then include the information they want, as well as how they want it presented, into the satchel that is whisked off to the Fox studios. Once it is at Fox studios, it is copied and sent out to the various "talent" they have.

[Taverner]

21. DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!!!!

I think we have a winner....

[Mabus]

39. I thought it was a given that it works this way

:blush:

[Virginia Dare]

22. Our own little version of PRAVDA.....n/t

[Mabus]

45. Leave No Adult Behind: giving you the news as they want you to believe it

Kind of like our educational system, teach to the test not to capitalize on the talents and needs of the kids. We don't need no stinking analytical thinking!

[Virginia Dare]

58. I just saw where 87% of the FAUX viewers say they will vote for McCain..

so I guess they are doing something right.

[Mabus]

64. Or they're using Republican math

which has been known to lose votes and swing elections.

[smoogatz]

31. Edwards' own campaign staffers ratted him out to the media

apparently.

[Mabus]

47. It wouldn't be the first time

I'm sure that they felt they had good reason to do it.

[Holly_Hobby]

20. I dunno......

I'm following the Caylee Anthony case and Fox reports on it more than CNN or MSNBC, that's why I had it on. Fox makes me nauseous.

[Runcible Spoon]

9. am I the only one who really doesn't care where politicians stick their dicks? (criminality excepted

I don't really buy the whole morality as narrowly dictated by traditional Judeo-Christian social norms makes good public leaders bullshit.

[Pale Blue Dot]

38. I care, but not for moral reasons.

Behavior like this by Edwards and Clinton makes me question not their morals, but their judgment. Really, you're a politician, you're the President or you're running for President, you have to know the press is looking for anything juicy to get their hands on, and you do this? Not to mention that his wife is possibly dying of cancer while this is happening - that fact alone will probably ruin his political career forever.

There comes a point in which a smart person with good judgment would say "Maybe I should just keep this in my pants for now."

[Runcible Spoon]

86. There are no squeaky clean people.

I respect public leaders who are not in denial about their faults and admit to them. Would you condemn an overweight politician who eats something unhealthy and gets photographed? Or someone with high bloodpressure eating a salty pretzel?

As far as judgment, I'll take someone who has slept around on the side over someone who has a shitty voting record or ties to corrupt corporate heads. Spitzer was and absolutely PHENOMENAL governor, and sleeping with hookers had no impact on his ability to do his job (except for the payments, that was a big no-no)

[LaurenG]

48. Here's the deal

when you get married in a church you take these vows, basically giving your word that you will "keep yourself only for the other." When you break that you need to realize that you will hurt (deeply) the one you made the promise to. Since it's hard enough to take when your not sick I can't imagine how Elizabeth feels.

It was wrong of him to do UNLESS he asked her permission or had the marriage dissolved FIRST.

Keeping ones word is such a rare thing now a days. Maybe it would be better if the promise was changed to "try to keep yourself only for the other."

When you stray, you hurt others period. :(

[Runcible Spoon]

85. what does that have to do with his ability to hold public office?

absolutely nothing. It's a private affair and if you really give a shit about Elizabeth's feelings you will stop giving this issue the attention it thrives on and leave them alone to deal with it.

on edit: who are you to lecture ME about what marriage and cheating mean? You know absolutely nothing of my past or present relationships, if there was/wasn't cheating. All I'm saying is I don't like people using their own individual moral codes to judge someone for a personal matter and that infidelity has absolutely no relationship to one's ability to hold public office. Only in America is this news. I can only imagine how Europe laughs at us.

[LaurenG]

89. Get off your soap box because you are barking up the wrong tree.

I wasn't lecturing anyone, but feel free to take it that way. :shrug: I won't even go further with you on this as you seem to be taking this far too personally, this is my take from my own inner guidance.

I like John Edwards very, very much and this is a very sad turn of events. The person my heart breaks for though is Mrs. Edwards

[Runcible Spoon]

92. I'm not on any soapbox, just tired of maudlin sentimentality on the internet.

I'm not taking anything personally, I'm not the one professing my breaking heart for a complete stranger.

My reaction was: that sucks for her.

Another thing nobody wants to talk about: being the partner of a chronically ill person is devastatingly difficult emotionally. Cancer treatments very often kill any sexual desire. I'm one of those people who believe that sex is (for most couples) a very important part of keeping a relationship functional.

Being deprived of sex from a very sick partner is particularly hard for a partner to deal with since they have, on top of the lost intimacy and physiological rewards of sex, the guilt of feeling deprived since there is nobody to blame. So they tend to blame themselves for even desiring sex, and the guilt and shame build until it is vented, usually in the form of an affair. Some sex therapists advise that if a partner becomes unable to have sex with his/her partner, it is the most honest and kind thing to allow the other person to seek sex elsewhere with the promise of not making new emotional connections. In this case, Edwards would have best slept with a prostitute.

Of course, these ideas are probably too radical for the vast majority of people. However, my views are based in an honest assessment about human sexuality. Whether or not people (incorrectly and dishonestly)equate love with fidelity, we will still have some of the highest cheating rates in the Western world.

[tblue]

56. Judeo-Christian-Taliban norms, you mean

I don't give a damn either. I am sure most world leaders and politicians throughout history have had mistresses & one-night stands. In places like Japan and France, they're asking, 'So this is news?'

[Runcible Spoon]

87. haha exactly my thought!

America and cheating is such a fucked up relationship. We shun it and then have some of the Western world's highest rates.

[comrade snarky]

88. I dont give a damn about the affair

That's between them.

Lying about it to us and lying to your supporters so they go out and perpetuate the lie however... I have a problem with that.

Loosing the presidency to the republicans because of a stupid scandal you lied about... I have a problem with that too and that outcome would have been all too likely of he had won the nomination.

[Blue Diadem]

10. .

:-(

[Blue_Tires]

11. oh dear....

this will be all we see on the news for a month...

[smoogatz]

12. Well, there you go.

Imagine if Edwards had won the nom. Holy crap. Whatever respect I had for the guy just went out the window.

[LisaL]

That wouldn't be very good. He claims he is not the daddy, though.

[movonne]

29. So having an affair is like being a really bad person...please...I bet

you can count on one hand all the pols that have not had an affair...

[smoogatz]

37. Having an affair and getting caught with your weiner out

if you're the Dem nominee (or a serious contender) doesn't make you a bad person, necessarily--though you'd have to be a colossal gaping asshole to do it while your wife is battling terminal breast cancer. What it makes you is a narcissistic jerk, and a fucking idiot to boot. End of political career for Edwards, and good riddance.

[LisaL]

44. Certainly an affair is not something you want in your presidential

candidate. By the way, he says he is not the daddy, but he did go to the hotel and the photo shows him picking the baby up.

[smoogatz]

52. He's screwn.

Now the media will be demanding DNA testing. Oops!

[LisaL]

57. Well, Edwards says he is not the daddy.

But if there is no chance he is the daddy, why would a married man with children go to the hotel and pick up the baby of his former mistress? Any ideas?

[smoogatz]

70. We'll see.

He's going to have to get some serious weasel on to get out of DNA testing.

[RebelOne]

13. Here's a link.

abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&page=1

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. The fascination with celebrity sex continues.

It sells a lot more Donuts and Diet Plans than news.

[hopewell1985]

15. not the first guy to make a mistake

I really don't see how this is anyone's business. His wife was sick and he needed some comfort. Not the end of the world.

[smoogatz]

28. It's about character.

He lied to his wife and family, fine--that's between them. But he was running for president while the affair was going on—if he'd gottne the nom and this had come out, he'd have handed McCain the election. That's a big deal. Democrats running for high office have to know they're held to a much higher personal standard than Republicans. It's not fair, but there it is.

[hopewell1985]

35. you think

Mccain has never stepped out cmon

[smoogatz]

42. It's okay if you're a Republican.

The media have two sets of rules: Republicans are supposed to be assholes. Democrats are supposed to be perfect. Edwards is right up there with Gingrich in my book. Boooooo! Hisssssss!

[Pale Blue Dot]

41. Yep. Character and judgment. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

16. I can get over the affair, but the thing that bugs me is he did it with a sick wife.

A wife that could be dying. It's heartbreaking for her, their family and I just can't wrap my mind around his doing this when his wife is in a battle for her life.

Pathetic.

[Hubert Flottz]

24. Reminds me of John McCain's affair!

[Arnold Judas Rimmer]

43. It's pretty much accepted now that stress effects the immune system

And may even contribute directly to cancer. This cannot be good for Elizabeth's health at all. :(

[Drunken Irishman]

46. :(

[Sheets of Easter]

55. I agree.

And for those who wish to whitewash this, being a lecherous asshole & cheating on your terminally ill wife crosses party lines.

[orleans]

63. the thing that gets me is not only the sick wife (oh, i hear she was in

remission--so that makes it okay?) but he was fucking running for president!!!

i am furious with him--how dare he do ANYTHING to jeopardize the dems for this election!

i am so pissed off at this guy--what an asshole!

and anyone who doesn't think this will effect the way this party is viewed by independents or repukes can think again--("see? they're all dirty, they all do this--the dems are no better" so that's why i'll just keep voting for a republican")

that's what i'm gonna be hearing. every party is a piece of shit--both parties are dirty and corrupt. which equals "neither party is better than the other"

I AM SO MAD ABOUT THIS!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

and he was a potential veep? omfg!
what if obama had picked him?
and then this shit came out?

[Drunken Irishman]

71. Yes, that is a major issue, too.

Imagine if Obama had decided not to run and Edwards became the Clinton alternative and somehow managed to pull it off?

We'd be screwed.

Or let's say Obama chose Edwards as his VP pick last month, only to have this come out. It would be Eagleton Part II.

[originalpckelly]

27. You have to be a real douche bag to cheat on your wife, but especially if she has cancer.

:puke:

[silverweb]

30. Irrelevant to anything.

A personal matter for the Edwards family to deal with in privacy.

This is just another media-created distraction from REAL ISSUES.

[Pale Blue Dot]

49. I disagree, for the reasons I expressed above.

In an ideal world, perhaps, this wouldn't matter, but we live in a far from ideal world and Edwards knows it. This shows a serious lack of judgment. He knew this could destroy his family, his career, and the hopes of many of his supporters; he decided that it was more important to get his rocks off.

[LaurenG]

61. Agree. nt

[silverweb]

68. I agree with you to that extent.

However, Edwards is no longer a potential candidate, so this is irrelevant to the current campaign. He holds no public office at the moment, and may or may not have been under consideration for a post in an Obama Administration.

Putting it very bluntly, Edwards is not a key player in this election, and so he is more or less irrelevant.

The sole reason for the media hype now is to distract public attention from the issues that matter in this campaign, and to attempt to hurt the Democrats in general and the Obama campaign in particular.

That's why I agree with those who say we need to turn the tables and focus attention on people like McCain, Vitter and Craig (who are still sitting senators), and other reTHUGs whose personal lives are at least as tarnished, and yet are still politically active and are given a full pass by the media.

[Mad_Dem_X]

32. Damn it, John!

I respected you so much. :argh:

[TexasObserver]

33. Majorly disappointed.

A candidate owes a duty to all his supporters and contributors. He or she must not betray the trust. Screwing around is violating that trust, and it is an affront to the man's wife, who must now suffer this public indignity because a man couldn't keep it in his pants.

[benld74]

40. At least Dems go after LEGAL AGE females ONLY

[tammywammy]

50. Cheating on your wife while she's living with cancer

A real winner there. :eyes:

[TexasObserver]

53. I backed John until he withdrew.

Until recently, I had him on a short list of preferred VPs.

I still had him on my AG and SC lists.

But God Damn It, John! You bastard, you cheated on your wife, and we love her!!

[tammywammy]

65. It's not just that he cheated on her

He cheated on her while she's living with cancer. That's just flat out disgusting.

[Bluebear]

72. You said it. I am sick that I supported him.

Shithead.

[TexasObserver]

76. low and sort of unforgivable

[TexasObserver]

90. Words cannot express my personal disappointment in him.

[Vickers]

54. Well, he fucked up.

Next.

[Liberal_in_LA]

60. Thank gawd he admitted before Obama picked him for VP

[Freddie Stubbs]

67. I don't think that is very likely to happen now

[smoogatz]

78. Wasn't gonna happen anyway.

But there goes his shot at a cabinet post.

[Evoman]

62. Why the hell would anybody be suprised at this?

1. All politicians are egotists and self-serving. All of them. The only choice is between bad and evil people. An asshole who cheats on his wife while she has cancer is actually small potatoes.

2. About 70% people cheat, and the other 30 are divided into people who feel to guilty to cheat, and people who are to unattractive to cheat.

3. Almost everybody who you will see chewing Edwards out publicly because of this has probably already cheated on their spouse. Hell, some of them have probably spent the last 20 years diddling little kids.

[ismnotwasm]

74. Fuck that noise

I am neither unattractive--by far, nor guilty and I have no inclination to cheat. Neither does my husband, and yes, I'm very sure. We're tight like that.

Monogamy is merely one choice for emotional and sexual grown-ups.

I have to agree with a lot of what else you said, unfortunately.

[Evoman]

82. There are always exceptions.

I've never cheated either.

But damn....everyone in my family has. And every one of my friends has either cheated, or been cheated on. Hell...I've done polls on DU, lol...my numbers are optimistic. The world is a bed of hypocracy and lies, covered with a thin, fake veneer of trust, loyalty, and respectability.

Except for my current one (in which I hope neither of us has cheated or will), I've never been in a relationship long enough to cheat.

[Marie26]

66. What is with this

he had an affair but didn't father the child? But also admitting that he was at the hotel w/his mistress & the baby? If he wasn't the father, why was he there? If there's no paternity test, how is he so sure? Why didn't he ask for a test to prove he wasn't the 'love child's' father? I feel like Edwards is still trying to skate & that's pretty pathetic.

[LisaL]

69. He claims because of the date of birth he is not the father.

But why would he go to the hotel and hold the baby of his former mistress if there is no chance he is the baby's daddy?

[Liberal_in_LA]

84. I agree. Seems like he's the daddy.

[Bright Eyes]

73. Well, this should push the Russian invasion out of the US MSM headlines

For awhile.

[robinlynne]

79. Is that why he dropped out of the race then? His numbers were growing.

[KansDem]

81. Did they incorrectly identify him as a "Republican?"

...I didn't think so.