Least surprising political scandal ever?
 

ABC News: Edwards Admits to Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate


Plan B in case his wife's breast cancer wins?

John now only wishes the affair could've happened in the White House.

I don't think it's technically a political scandal because he's not in office or a current candidate.

What he is though is major douchebag.

Dude needs a better plan B.

Exactly how much of this campaign staff did she get through?

I still can't believe that I had friends that thought he was the more "real" candidate while Obama was a "fake." I guess cheating on your wife while she battles cancer is keepin it real.

I suppose I should explain my thread title:

One of the things I always giggled over during the campaign was that Edwards' "political support" (at least if you went by interviews) seemed to consist largely of women aged 30 - 50 with the striking inability to conduct even a 5 second interview without mentioning how cute he was.

Maybe I'm cynical, but I just didn't see him resisting temptation for very long (the fact that he's a politician was really incidental to that conclusion).

dola...

That said, he can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned.

He got some nookie. There is alot worst that other people do.

While his wife was fighting for her life.

He got some nookie while his wife, who didn't have her hard working husband (who had enough money to be more stay at home, mind you) battled through cancer. And then he lied about it. And then he released a statement today with the gall enough to say he was only "99% truthful."

I don't think a lot of people do worse.

What's your point? That he should be praised for not eating babies (as far as we know)?

Thats something totally different, you can't blame someone for dining on a fresh baby or fetus for their sweet, sweet stem cells.

Whatever.

What do you figure the extramarital affair rate in Congress is?
Personally, I'd guess 75% to 80%.

edit to add: Not excusing him, Newt, or anybody else. Just semi-rhetorically wondering aloud.

I think you forgot to include homosexual affairs.

Not that I'm defending him, but right now the story is that the affair was during a period when the cancer was in remission.

Right, and he was adamant about that. Oh, she was in remission - oh, well that's an entirely different story altogether!

You have to wonder what the situation was there..his paramour waiting in a hotel room, and Edwards busts through the door saying "Guess what? We got the results back...it's in remission! We can fuck now!"

What can't you read? I said I'm not defending him, but the truth seems to be that she wasn't "fighting for her life". There's plenty to bash him for without adding to the story.

I put the odds of this being 100% true at 0%.

Okay...that was funny. :lol:

That may be, but until we know differently we should stand on the facts as we know them.

He's a slimy bastard, but so are nearly all politicians, IMO. I think narcissism is a prerequisite for willingly whoring oneself out to all accessible factions as a way of life.

A candidate must be all things to all people. This makes his very attractive to people of the opposite sex, and I'm sure it's very hard to turn down free sex from younger, bright-eyed, adoring supporters.

I'm serious about that last line, that wasn't sarcasm. I really do have a slight sympathy for guys like Edwards, even while I hold them in contempt. I don't know that most men could resist constant temptation any better.

One more thing: No way this is the only time he strayed. But since he didn't win, the right-wing side of the "press" might not bother to dig up the other dalliances, like they did (and continue to do) with Bill Clinton.

Astute, molson. I agree with this completely.

I would agree if Edwards was credible. Otherwise, when you lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, you don't deserve to be believed. Especially on message boards that have no relevance to anything.

So I can say Cindy McCain sucked cock for money to buy crack because she lied about her drug addiction?

I'll stick with with belief that things shouldn't be stated as facts without substantial evidence that they are facts, regardless of the venue.

Maybe he thought she'd die before this story would come out? Awful, but...

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I don't believe the pictures, though, the kid is probably his.

Sure, if you want to have that opinion, go ahead, its a free country.

Though McCain sucking cock for money for crack because she lied about her drug addiction is a LITTLE bit more of a stretch that Edwards cheating on one occasion because he did on another occasion.

I mean, McCain has lots of money, she wouldn't need to do that.

This isn't a court of law. People are allowed to have opinions on things, they carry no legal weight.

Given that this is the same guy who used both their dead baby *and* his wife's cancer to score political points, I'm waiting to see how he tries to spin this.

Oh, and the AP brings us this:


The Associated Press: Edwards' statement admitting affair

Edit to add:


We might not be able to, but I'm sure his wife has some ideas he hasn't considered yet.

I only know that the apparent father has said publicly that he is the father of the baby. I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby.

Sounds like Palmeiro saying he never used performance enhancing drugs.

This part was in that ABC story too.

Since becoming pregnant, Hunter has lived under assumed names in a series of expensive homes in North Carolina and, more recently, in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Hmm...

I guess I have to ask:

Why the hell does anyone give a damn who he's fucking? its his life he can fuck whomever he chooses. if we as a public dislike it we can kiss his grown-up-adult-can-do-what-the-fuck-he-wants ass.

*shurg*

I just like holding cheaters up to public scorn.

ETA: On a more nuanced level, my feeling is that it stopped being "his" life and became "their" lives as soon as he said "I do". An illicit affair demonstrates that he is incapable of 1) being honest with the one person he has vowed to love, honor and cherish, and 2) showing respect for even the most basic public obligations, and 3) putting the needs of those closest to and most dependent upon him above his own whims and desires.

Given that he has chosen to make a career out of exploiting the public trust (as an elected official), this is useful information to have in evaluating his worthiness as a public servant. I mean, if he can't uphold even the basics with his wife, why would I expect him to be truthful when he says he's going to bat for *me*, a complete stranger?

As Drake said, he used his family situation to try to gain votes, so as a politician, he's made his own family situation particularly relevant.

More than that though, he's just really slimy and people are just expressing an "I knew it" reaction. I don't think they really care.

Not really, when you consider the number of those who have done such a thing. You fail to have anyone left that passes your morality test. What does it matter if you're comparing apples to apples?

But there's a difference between saying I believe... and stating something as fact. My original post was aimed at something stated as fact.

On a public level Edwards betrayed a lot of people by running for office while he knew this was hanging over him, especially after some of the comments he made about Clinton. If I had given him money or volunteered for his campaign I would rightly be very pissed.

Just because people consistently fail to meet basic standards of honesty, decency and dignity doesn't mean that the standards are to blame.

I'm not thinking about it that hard.

ANYONE who cheats on their wife or husband is a slimeball/douchebag. It doesn't mean they deserve to die or anything, or that lots of people don't do it, but honestly, if you can't help but fuck around, don't get married (or at least don't have kids).

Just imagine how pissed Hillary must be. If this comes out *before* Edwards takes a chunk of the votes, maybe Hillary vs. Obama Into June doesn't happen. ;)

Including John McCain?

You can't say this,


and then fuck around on your wife.

Well, you *can*, it just sends a different message about your character than the one you intended. :D

Sure.

I'm not married, so maybe I just don't get it. But I've somehow managed to never cheat on my girlfriend. It's not even that hard. The only reason I've committed to her is that she satisfies me and I don't need anyone else. I certainly check out other women, but to take all the steps necessary to actually commit the act - I just can't believe that's so easy for so many people.

For better or worse, the President is the person who represents you and me on the world stage. Ideally, I want this person above reproach morally, ethically, socially, intellectually, etc.

When a President cheats on his wife, he is no longer ethically or morally above reproach. However, the problem many of these candidates make is that they do not come out and admit to these things. If it was something that happened in the past, come out and admit the mistake. Ask for forgiveness and move on. When it is revealed by someone else, you are hosed no matter what in the court of public opinion.

Finally, it all comes down to trust. If a man breaks his trust with his wife, how can I trust him in other areas? Yes, they are two separate things, but now there is doubt.

Elizabeth Edwards posts on DailyKos about it.

All I see is a black eyed woman defending her man to a cop.