Sunday Roundup

This week brought us the latest twists in the John Edwards infidelity story -- a story with many inconsistencies, which HuffPost began to explore last September. Edwards told ABC that he will have no more to say on the matter, but so many loose ends remain -- the incomplete birth certificate, the money paid to Edwards' mistress by his campaign's finance chairman, that blurry pic of Edwards and the baby he claims isn't his -- that more revelations seem inevitable. I've long pushed for a giant border fence separating public life and private lives. But the issue here wasn't Edwards' infidelity, it was his lying directly to the American people. The last thing we need is a sexual purity test for our politicians, but we desperately need political leaders whose word we can trust.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[BushSunkOurShip]

Is this web site carrying McCain and the republicans' water now!!!!
You are taking something done by a democrats and blowing it out of proportion.
Were is you article prying into McCain personal life about his leaving his first wife after she was crippled in an auto accident and going with a younger woman with wealth while married.
Republican save their political funds by letting web sites like your do their campaigning for them.
Edwards is not even running for the office of president and McCain is the republican candidate which is running.
You are starting to sound like one of the sunday morning republican talk shows.
I guess these articles are un-important to discuss.
Someone please explain how a whole gaggle of Sunday-morning pundits and so-called political experts can pontificate on current political happenings without mentioning the mind-bending revelation in Ron Suskind's new book that Bush and Cheney concocted a scheme to forge a letter purporting to support the Saddam Hussein-Al Qaeda link complete with hush money to the Iraqi general who signed it. This isn't newsworthy? Just like the Downing Street Memos, I guess. What part of treason do these people not understand?
And this comes on the heels of the revelation by Seymour Hersh that a plan was discussed in the inner sanctum of Cheney's office to stage a "false flag" attack on an American ship using U.S. soldiers in Iranian flagged boats.

[ProfessorDuh]

There's Democratic adultery, which is a HUGE scandal and an impeachable offense. And then there's Republican adultery, which must be kept quiet and never, ever mentioned in the news. See the big difference? Didn't you get your "liberal news media" playbook?


[cannante]

it ends up complicated by the fact that presidentially, a democrat stood up and said that prevaricating about sex is not lying about sex. thereby making the issue about parsing words when in fact the whole modern world must find it within itself to nurture the culture of disdain for muddling in general.

but we're MORE addicted to muddling than we are to fuuurrin aaaaaayl.

[springsm]

Actually the whole damn world didn't need to know this. So bloody what. Oh well...jus­t look what the republicans did to WJC...and would like to do to anybody else who isn't of their ilk. But lets see..how many scandals have they had...wher­e there is really no punishment. Lying over sexual affairs is none of our gd business. People just look for stuff here and maybe they are sexually depraved..­.or women scorned. Tiresome. Do I like a liar for a person of office. NOPE..but we have had one for 8 years...an­d are on the brink perhaps of having Pres. Johnny.

[Scott1560]

Have to applaud Arianna on this one. This is not about party, it is about trust. There are no party platforms regarding affairs or cover ups. All politicians take their risks and we should hold all of them to the same basic standards, not sexual standards.­.......sta­ndard of trust.

Remember how many were concerned with John McCain and a possible affair with a lobbyist? The primary concern was not centered on sex, it was all about favors. Of course, the story had no legs, the Edwards story did. So why not the same concerns? Should we not care about where our money went if we supported him, contributed to his campaign? And just what special favors might have been handed out if he did become the presidential nominee, VP? Sorry, but that one concern, the issue of trust, the worry about favors applies to both democrats, republicans, libertarians, greens, etc..

The pants-dropping in D.C. has gone to the point that I'd be very surprised to learn that no other nation has considered planting a spy, using sex to infiltrate our system. And that's what this is about, not about the personal affairs of the individual, rather....­..It is all about the public individual who chooses to lead us, the one we lend our trust to, the one who seeks an even higher level than we may hold ourselves to. We want someone we can look up to.

[LiberalBuzz]

Ya know I am as disappointed in Edwards as anyone but I really think the press is blowing this far far beyond all proportion. Yes he lied about it, but something everyone knows is that married men lie about affairs. Bil Clinton being the most famous example.

Nonetheless, I saw none of this uproar when Newt did it, or any of a variety of politicians with the possible of Craig and let's be honest that is a hundred times worse. Cruising for men in a public restroom at an international airport???

Edwards screwed up but does that diminish so badly his ideas?

[joe6671]

The sex life of politicians is nobody's business. This disease of the commentariat will destroy the country. Nor do I favor the hypocricy of commentators who justify their indulgence by claiming that the lie told in self defense or in shame justifies the comments by the commentariat. It does not. Sex is a very healthy impulse. We dont always control it in the most appropriate way. But we enjoy the moment even though we might regret its ultimate destination. Such is human nature. GET OFF IT AND STAY OFF IT.

[nunzia]

What's that old saying, "there are lies and then there are damned lies"?
This is the USA, so there's no way we aren't going to get all worked up about some pol cheating on his wife and lying to us about it. Those are lies
The DAMNED lies are W's. The lies that keep getting people KILLED. The latest revelations by Suskind are ignored now, because John Edwards got it on outside of wedlock and lied.

[TOOO]

Actually, the saying is “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics­.” Benjamin Disraeli originally said it, but Mark Twain popularized it, at least in the US.

[nunzia]

Thank you.

[longislandlol]

Could she have been planted at that time and place by Edwards enemies? Please reply bloggers..

[NCYvonne]

Enemies? Wha enemies? Edwards doesn't have any enemies. Nobody cares about Edwards.

Edwards was fooling around, lied about it for a year and finally got caught. End of story.

[zippywpinhead]

time to change your tinfoil...

[aubrey8]

the Bush people picked it through illegal taps via email or phone. they leaked it to embarrass the party before the convention.

[shela88]

It is very likely that absent of an obvious scandal among prominent Democrats, Karl Rove and his friends simply had to unearth one. John Edwards was the obvious target because, let's face it.who were they going to investigate, Bill Richardson? Joe Biden? John Edwards was in their sights the minute they got a look at him and by the time he was making his populist speeches to throngs of adoring supporters, Rove, AKA "the architect" had orchestrated his downfall. Rove had the money to pay off when necessary and his objective was to embarrass the Democrats before their convention and muddy the waters before election day. And there you have it.

[WolfLarsen]

The problem is not the affair it is the cover-up. The lies are the factors that always bring you down. I was a big Edwards supporter and thought at one time he would be a great choice for VP. He is a politician and his conduct in dealing with this scandal shows he is no different then the other politicians that try every tactic imaginable to avoid responsibility. I find his infidelity minor to his manipulation and obfuscation. His conduct in this regard I find disgusting.

His call for a paternity test seems well timed with Hunter's refusal of the very same test. It smells like the courtroom manipulation of a smarmy lawyer which Edwards clearly is. His credibility is shot. His heart was in the right place on the issues but his sincerity and agenda are at the very least questionable.

The cracks appeared with the revelation of his involvement with hedge funds. The hypocrisy was there for those that cared to look closely enough. I was one of those that chose the better angels and ignored my lying eyes. I am sure the lawyer in Edwards will continue to spin the facts in hopes of salvaging his career. I do not wish him luck. The last thing this country needs is another politician seeing himself beyond the rules and governed only by his since of self-importance.

[jsinclair]

Well said. I really thought Edwards was sincere as a candidate, but he's completely destroyed that image--not with infidelity, but with all the lies and manipulative coverup efforts.

I think his explanation of "narcissism" and "egotism" are also false--just telling us something so he can now do "fake mea culpa, fake humble".

I took Feingold's criticism of Edwards-as-senator vs. Edward-as-candidate seriously, but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt--that he'd changed and was campaigning from his heart.

It's not infidelity that will kill his career now. But, even though he may be sincere 90% of the time, many people will no longer believe ANYTHING he says. He may rebuild a career in a decade or so--he's young enough to do it--but it will take a lot of hard, humble, HONEST work to get there.

[nunzia]

And what do you think about W's lying ?

[MyTake]

Really, Arianna, "a giant border fence between public and private lives of politicians"!

Tell me then, why all of the professions require several years of education and training in order to be certified, yet there is no educational, course or thesis requirement for a person seeking the power of a mayor, a governor, a congressman, a senator or a president?

The only requirement to be a politician in America is that can they go before an audience and knowingly tell a lie!

These politicians need help. They need certification, they need to put forth a hand written political thesis stating their purpose in seeking office and what exactly they will do with the acquired power of that office, they need independent psychological profiling to stress test their ability to tell the truth.

Here is Dick Cheney joking to the Council On Foreign Relations how he withheld his membership from the voting public: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOAk-7F1EVU .That group alone is the de facto government of the U.S. and it is they who supply the key administration positions from their membership rolls.

The candidates for President and VP are controlled by a yet powerful organization. McCain, Obama and Edwards are under their control as is the heads of all major U.S. print and news media.

The only wall we need is to erect a wall between politicians and powerful sinister interests. The fact that your site readily protects those interests is remarkable.

[mlaiuppa]

Everyone lies about sex.

You cannot ask a public figure in public about sex (even legal sex with a spouse) without getting a lie. It is an automatic response to a private and possibly embarassing subject when asked in public.

I'll say the same thing about this I said about Clinton. The issue is not that he lied. The issue is that the question should NEVER HAVE BEEN ASKED. It's none of anyone's business.

Last time I checked fidelity was not a requirement for president. Adultery is not grounds for impeachment.

[jsinclair]

Maybe he shouldn't have exposed his arrogance then, to think he could do an INTERVIEW about it, and just keep on lying.

Making a simple press statement would have been more thoughtful of his wife and family--but was evidently rejected as being less helpful in resurrecting his career and reputation.

Instead, he chose to dig in dipper.

Arrogant. And stupid.

[aspertame]

Kids have a way of stumbling on the truth, even without a helpful trail of archived news accounts. If the baby is Edwards', she will know one day, and know a particular hurt reserved for children of "important" men with "reputations to protect".

If Edwards can't step up and demand the paternity test (which might be just a bit disingenuous, if he has already arranged for Ms. Hunter to "refuse" it), and if he is the father, then he is making a very hurtful mistake against the interests of all his children. For his wife? (Cheating is forgivable, but a baby...) For his career? Disowning a baby for a career makes illegally cruising for anonymous sex in a bathroom stall look relatively virtuous..­.

[Dorian]

Edwards is paying a pretty penny for keeping the baby's paternity a secret. I suspect he wants to put off the publication of that information until Elizabeth is dead. He has probably promised to marry Ms. Hunter once he is "free" as further inducement to keep her quiet. Unfortunately, I think Elizabeth is smart enough to figure it all out.

[marbou888]

Edward's lie: NEW Births 1 - DEAD HUMANS 0

Bush-Cheney lie: NEW BIRTHS 0 - DEAD HUMANS 1 000 000

[nunzia]

YES!!

[littleblackcat]

I am disappointed in John Edwards but cannot see a peep's worth of difference between Edwards having an affair with one woman and mccain having a hopping old time with three or four and then ditching his crippled wife for some young, rich bimbo. The fidelity wagon is one upon which a man sits by choice, and 99% falls off at one time or other. This country still has the moral structure of the Puritans, for good or ill. In the rest of the civilised world, extra-marital sex is not considered such an all-consuming deal. In this country, it is the biggest display of hypocrisy there is since nearly all men over 40 and more than 45% of the women of the same age have had extra-marital affairs and not many would admit it or admit that they hold our public figures to "higher standards". This is about as sensible as saying presidential candidates can't have hemorhoids.

[rationalthought1]

The whole Edwards "affair" was a time bomb waiting to go off. How he and Elizabeth could rationalize him running for president at this time is hard to imagine. Sure, in an ideal world people's private lives shouldn't matter, but Edwards wasn't a doctor or a janitor, he was trying to become the democrats nominee for president. The political reality is that if he would have succeded the whole thing blowing up would have finished the Dems chances at the White House for at least another four years. He and his wife were not just dealing with the fate of their marriage and family, they were dealing with the fate of the party and the future of our country. Its incredibly arrogant for them to take the attitude that its no one elses buisness when, in fact, we all would have suffered the consequences of their private troubles.

[jsinclair]

And yet, if she believed his lie (that it ended in 2006), why NOT run? The whole Gennifer Flowers thing came out in 1992 and Bill Clinton won. And McCain (and Cindy) committed adultery with wife #1.

I don't think PAST adultery would have to have been a deal breaker. (But I do wonder if Elizabeth knew that Andrew Young was covering it up for John--or if she thought he really was "the new boyfriend"­.)

The Young/money connections are really bad parts of this story, imo, and I doubt Elizabeth knew about any of that either.

[brendi1]

Goodness sakes, Pols lie all the time about Birth Certifcates, CLOB, important things the American people deserve to know about. We just need jouralists who report the news no matter the outcome. The media knew about Edwards and didn't report it sooner, they didn't and they don't and they are really responsible for the outcome of everything, Bush's second term, the war as a whole, and now this, a candiate who probably changed the outcome of Iowa had he not been on the ballot. It just all sucks for the American people. We are kept in the dark.