Edwards Affair Redux

Now, the media wants you to believe that it was difficult for the media to prove that John Edwards had an affair with Rielle Hunter. Right. How difficult was it to send reporters to track down Edwards at the Beverly Hilton? That's what the National Enquirer did.

The Los Angeles Times sent an intern to do reporting on the story.

It's further amazing that once the dam burst yesterday after Edwards admitted to the affair that the nation's reporters all of a sudden found their voice collectively and began reporting the story as though they'd been all over it from day one.

The only folks who can claim that they've been following the story with any sense of urgency from the outset were Mickey Kaus, the National Enquirer, and some bloggers including DBKP.

Yet, even though Edwards admits to the affair, he claims that he did not father the baby. That makes sense given the revulsion that would ripple throughout the nation if we learned that he was off having sexual encounters with his mistress just weeks after his wife Elizabeth learned that her cancer had returned. The timeline makes it clear that if the baby is indeed his, it would mean that he had sex with Hunter just days after learning his wife's cancer had returned.

DBKP parses Edwards' official statement and notes that it is full of weasel words and that he attempts to trash the one media outlet that got most of the facts right from the outset, the Enquirer. Indeed, ABC News notes that the Enquirer got 95-96% of the story right. Since the Enquirer claims that Edwards is the baby's father, perhaps it might help if either ABC News or the Enquirer could pursue that angle further, though it would require that Edwards take a paternity test. Anthony Young already claims that he's the father, but there is no evidence to substantiate his claims.

Note also that Edwards now claims that he's being honest, when he was claiming that he was honest in 2007 when he denied ever having an affair with Hunter - and that comes at a time after John told Elizabeth about the affair. She knew about the affair at that point, but still stood by. Will she stand by now, even after learning that Edwards may have continued seeing Hunter even after her cancer returned?

So, what does Elizabeth do? She apparently penned a piece on Daily Kos. I find it curious that she's concerned about the steady stream of reporters and news helicopters over their home. Maybe that might have something to do with the fact that John was the VP candidate in 2004, and had ambitions to be President in 2008 but was likely to settle for a post in an Obama administration?

John has spoken in a long on-camera interview I hope you watch. Admitting one’s mistakes is a hard thing for anyone to do, and I am proud of the courage John showed by his honesty in the face of shame. The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown. But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue. I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John’s conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time.

She's rallying behind her husband, which is her prerogative. If she truly means that her family needs time to heal, then John's political career should be toast. Ed Morrissey wonders if that will actually be the case.

I think his career is over because it goes to character and fitness to lead. Can anyone ever trust anything he says? While we need politicians to lie and prevaricate, the appearance of lying and prevarication tends to turn people off. Just ask Gary Hart.

It appears that neither Edwards will attend the convention in Denver. That's for the best for all concerned, especially the Edwards family.

I do feel sorry for her and her kids. She trusted him, and he burned her - first in 2006 after admitting to the affair, and again now. If he indeed fathered Rielle's child, then that burning sensation is more like a bonfire.

Others blogging: Macranger has no sympathy for Elizabeth and calls her a liar.

Paul at Powerline weighs in and comments on human frailties and notes that he will post no further on the subject. I agree that Edwards is a phony and his abilities to manipulate a jury (and the public) are astonishing, but he could feel remorse as well. However, mitigating that is the fact that he's indeed lied about his relationship with Rielle to his wife, and it appears that he never broke it off with Rielle.

The Moderate Voice notes the suffering of the family. Indeed.

See memeorandum for the feeding frenzy.

UPDATE:
Doug Ross has put together a handy dandy timeline of events, complete with noting that John received a father of the year award and renewed his vows with Elizabeth even as he was in the midst of his affair with Rielle.

UPDATE:
Edwards truly has a problem because he's pissed off Rielle's family, which is now demanding he take a paternity test. Whoa nelly!