John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards separate, may divorce, friends tell People

[shanti]

Source: Washington Post

Elizabeth Edwards has "called it quits" for her marriage, and her husband John, the scandal-scarred erstwhile presidential hopeful, has moved out of their home, People magazine reports in a new cover story.

People cites named sources close to the couple, including Elizabeth's sister: "She said, 'I've had it. I can't do this. I want my life back," Nancy Anania told the magazine. "I hear peace in her voice that I haven't heard in a long time."



Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/01/john_edwards_and_elizabeth_edw.html?g=0

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Just about as important as Tiger's marriage at this point.

[struggle4progress]

41. Why don't we listen when Elizabeth keeps saying it's nobody else's business?

It's not her fault: do we really need to keep shining a bright light on her embarrassment?

[liberalpragmatist]

50. Well, to be fair, she did have her friends and family talk to People magazine

Which isn't exactly a sign of keeping things close to one's chest.

[struggle4progress]

55. To be fair, nobody I know can control what their family and friends say -- or to whom

[bluestateguy]

2. Why must we keep hearing about these two?

Good Lord.

[1620rock]

3. Yes, let it be.

[Xenotime]

58. Agreed. These people need their space and we should give it to them.

They are going through some suffering times and their wishes need to be respected.

[customerserviceguy]

68. First reason is that the mainstream media

loves sexual scandals. The second reason is, the next time someone stands up there and wants our votes, our donations, and our trust, we need to see if there's any smoke that indicates a fire. The tabloids were telling the truth about John Edwards long before anyone else acknowledged it, and we damned near wound up with an untrustworthy individual as our nominee.

[next left2]

71. Because J. Edwards trusted the wrong person.

Every piece of dirt is coming out directly from the source. It's a major spectacle. What a crash and burn.

[FarPoint]

4. I could see Elizabeth

following in the footsteps of Hillary; go run for Office or say like getting a Cabinet Seat.

[Fla Dem]

8. Not likely with her health and complicity in the cover-up. n/t

[24601]

61. Except that she know and remained silent while Edwards ran for

the 2008 nomination. She was complicit and had he gotten the nom and then the story broke....

[customerserviceguy]

69. Yes, she's only a partial victim here

The real victims are the people who gave this clown money to run for President. Had he gotten the nomination, we would have seen President McCain with Vice-President Palin at last week's SOTU address.

[Ken Burch]

73. She didn't know the baby was his.

And it was still HIS fault for doing this in the first place.

He probably told her "if you go public, I'll make sure you don't have a penny for your cancer treatment".

Elizabeth was a blackmail victim.

Those who say "it's HER fault, too", are letting Weasel Boy off the hook.

[elocs]

5. This is the 3rd time this has been posted today.

It should be posted at least 3 more times before the day is over, then tomorrow, then the next day too.

[graywarrior]

20. !

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[shawcomm]

6. It's a shame. I used to really like Edwards

[Fla Dem]

7. Self Deleted, wrong place

[Peregrine Took]

9. Not to boast but I spied Edwards as a phony the first time I saw him in person

It was at a rally in 2003 in the middle of a scorchingly hot field with no shade in Wisconsin.

We had been standing there for hours waiting for him with a large crowd of admirers. Then Mr. Swell pulls up in this HUGE black air conditioned bus right next to the podium and comes floating out like Joe College looking so cool and calm.

He gave us a little pre-packaged speech with lukewarm enthusiasm and climbed back on the monster bus. The whole crowd was very disappointed.

I wonder if he privately scorned us the way he did the southern red necks.

Ironically we, also, saw HRC in Wisconsin when she was running and it was just the opposite. She was so warm and friendly the crowd was crazy about her. It was freezing cold and she came over wearing just a pant suit and did the whole line up and down shaking hands and exchanging niceties. What a pro!!!.

[unabelladonna]

24. me too

i never believed a word uttered by that unctuous, slimy slob. i always felt i needed a shower after hearing him pontificate. yuck. and that girlfriend? what a witch. and i hate to say it but i wish hillary had become president.

[juajen]

27. That's our Hill, warm and friendly, naturally. She is a pro, but,

she is also sincere and extremely competent. Chelsea is a product of her mother's upbringing, and all I see from here is pretty close to perfection.

I loved the photo of Hill speaking in the pouring down rain, no umbrella in sight. That remains my favorite campaign photo of all time. There were millions of women and men rejoicing to witness her courage, tenacity and graciousness. She was our first best candidate; and I am afraid her ilk will not come along again any time soon, more's the pity.

[shawcomm]

31. Very cool about Hillary

I thought better about Edwards, especially after seeing him want to fight the "tv" results election '04 night. But then I only live in a neighbor state and never had the chance to attend one of his rallies in person.

[iamjoy]

32. I Never Saw That

In 2004, he did a fundraiser at a hotel in Central Florida. After, he went "back of the house" to shake hands with and individually thank the hotel staff and volunteers who'd worked the event. He didn't have to do that.

Nope, I believed in him right up until I found out he cheated on his wife. Only then did I really believe it was all for show. And I still think he truly cares about people and poverty on some level, but is also a selfish egomaniac. It's a paradox, but some one can be both at once. He wouldn't be the only one who has a disconnect between his utopian, egalitarian ideals and the way he lives his life.

[wordpix]

33. Hillary is a great Sec. of State--Tavis Smiley did a documentary on her on PBS

that ran tonight ---I ended up liking Hillary more than ever.

[Honeycombe8]

54. I didn't, exactly. But I had suspicions. I wondered about an extremely good looking,

trim, and apparently physically fit man who worked in the public arena, and met lots and lots and lots of attractive women...I wondered about such a man being married to a morbidly obese woman who used to be slim and cute. I wondered if he fooled around. I wondered if the marriage was for political reasons. I wondered if he stayed with her because she ran his campaign, sort of (like that governor what's his name with the Argintinian girlfriend).

I figured he did run around, and that his marriage was to get elected. But then I thought that he seemed to love her, and it happens, so maybe they were married and in love and he was faithful. But then I thought...how many times does THAT happen? Even when the wife is a Hollywood starlet babe, many husbands run around...so when the wife is far from that, he surely would. But would he, when he's running for President? Nah. Not in this day and age, when activities are reported on in the media.

I would have been skewered on this board if I'd said these things back then, esp. the "morbidly obese" thing (yes, she used to be morbidly obese, before she got ill this last time...that's not an insult, that's a medical term). I know and love lots of obese and morbidly obese people, (and I struggle with my own weight) so I don't mean disrespect. But we all know that it matters in the sexual arena, as well as other arenas, so let's get over pretending someone doesn't have an issue when she does. And HE apparently had an issue, too, that was not so visible.

It's shock and awe that he was so arrogant and brazen about this fling, in the middle of a Presidential campaign, with one in the oven with teh girlfriend, and now possibly a sex tape.

She must know, though, that if they get divorced, he will remarry. He will remarry a younger, thinner woman. He might even have more children, raise a new family. I'm sure that's going through her mind.

How could someone do that to someone he used to love? No matter what itch he felt he had to scratch. I don't think I could do that to someone for my own selfish reasons. It hurts so many people, and the end is always bad. I know they say that men will be men, la-dee-da and all. But these things hurt people deeply. It's not funny, it's not a "that's how men are" thing to be ignored. The children will be deeply hurt, too.

[xxqqqzme]

59. morbidly obese ???

Are you talking about Elizabeth Edwards? I'm guessing you have never been in her presence. She isn't 5'4" and 200 lbs you know.

[Honeycombe8]

65. Yes, she was morbidly obese.

"Obese" is defined as being at least 30% over ideal weight. So if a person should be 120 pounds, but weighs 156 pounds, that person is technically "obese," medically speaking.

"Morbidly obese" is more than that, but not lots more.

Yes, she was morbidly obese. When he stood behind her, he disappeared. She carries her weight mainly below the waist, so maybe you didn't notice. She was huge....I saw her campaigning in Iowa, in people's living rooms, walking around, etc.

She has lost a significant amount of weight, though, with her illness.

Americans, I think, have gotten so used to so many people being overweight, that they don't recognize obesity when they see it.

Stats say that MOST children are obese. When you see a crowd of children, do you recognize that? If not, you may not be understanding what obesity is, or what normal weight is.

[Honeycombe8]

66. Oh, I forgot to say that yes, her weight at one time well exceeded 200 pounds.

Way over that.

[undeterred]

67. He had a lot of support from WI dems in 2007

Edwards supporters told me that Kucinich just "wasn't ready" for such a big spotlight. I always thought he was just a little too slick. The poverty message didn't match his lifestyle. When I hear about how much he spent covering up the affair it makes me sick. What a phony jerk. It would have been a disaster if he got the nomination.

[FedUp_Queer]

11. I did too.

He was saying the right things. Much like a president I know of who SAID the right things.

[Raine]

52. Me too

I fell for his bullshit. :-(

[Ohio Joe]

56. I as well

He was my first choice during the primaries and I gave money to his campaign.

[alteredstate]

64. I liked him, too.

Now I think he's a self-absorbed, lying sack of shit.

[WriteDown]

10. Wonder if it was a marriage of convenience from the beginning....

This is not a surprise though.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. No. People change. That's all.

They are hardly the first couple to get a divorce.

[WriteDown]

16. I wonder if she would've stayed with him if he'd won the POTUS though. nt

[No Elephants]

37. Let's make sure we shred her with hypotheticals. Terminal cancer and this mess just aren't enough.

[Haole Girl]

48. +1

[eagertolearn]

12. It's a difficult topic. Hard to explain to my kids who have seen the Clintons and the Edwards go

through the affair drama and wonder why the wifes have stayed with their husbands...It is hard to explain...actually hard to understand. I wouldn't want my girls to stick in a relationship like that. It's too bad more people don't get counseling when the urge to stray starts. Especially when there are kids involved.

[juajen]

29. Infidelity is not murder, and, believe me, there are worst things.

Most women or men can get past this if they really value the relationship and, more importantly, the friendship; for without that friendship everything else is redundant.

My husband and I were married for 46 years and were best friends for 50 years. We both were unfaithful when we were very young and still trying to find ourselves and assessing each other, and I wouldn't have been surprised if it hadn't happened when we were older.

No one should own another person sexually. With true friendship, if you're lucky, you can forge something even more lasting and important. I am not minimizing sex in a relationship; just saying we are stuck on some kind of "ownership" thing, and it is causing a lot of families to break up. Mostly because of vanity. Marriage to my husband was a mixed bag, as life always is. Without some pain, you can know no joy.

Let this very true adage guide you, with no exceptions, except for physical and verbal abuse:

"To err is human; to forgive, divine."

[Democrat_in_Houston]

40. Vanity?

:eyes:

[karynnj]

47. I don't think it is "ownership" , which applies that one side controls the other

but a mutual bond of trust that allows greater closeness.

[eagertolearn]

49. I agree. My parents were both married three times and each time

(each of them) had affairs first before they left their marriages. The grass is not always greener on the other side and those that just eat their feelings and pretend like the affairs aren't bothering them are not being truthful. I see many older people who have done that and at the end the angers they held in eventually came out or are expressed with medical problems. I think it is better for the couple to get help to build a stronger relationship and if that doesn't work then get a divorce. Don't have affairs.

[Drum]

13. Yawn. nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. And just how is this our concern? nt

[winyanstaz]

17. I like Elizabeth...I think she is making the right choice..

She has been through hell.
Ok..enough of this...watch out for what they are really doing while this is on the front pages....
Every time we get distracted by stuff like this...nasty stuff is quietly going on behind the scenes....

[Iggo]

18. The surprise is that they're not divorced already. (n/t)

[buff2]

19. I wonder if he moved in with his mistress?

So sad. Very dirty on his part to do this to her and her having to deal with cancer.What a lowlife he turned out to be.

[arcos]

21. Good, he's a sorry excuse of a human being and she deserves much better...

Of course, that's her call and not mine to make, but I can still have my opinion. :)

[mountainvue]

22. I don't blame her. n/t

[unabelladonna]

23. good for elizabeth

she's too good for that turd of a husband.

i think what pissses me off more than anything else is that he did not take responsibility and use birth control. he and that vile poseur bimbo are perfect for each other.

[bc3000]

25. Whoooooooooooooooooooooo cares?

What is this, Inside Edition?

[superconnected]

26. Go Elizabeth! She should have dumped him during the campaign.

Good little wife of cheating politician is not a good female role model.

I hope she gets good health, and a stronger sense of what she shouldn't put up with. What people put up with reflects what they think is acceptable.

[marshall]

28. I wonder if Hunter thinks she has a future with him?

She claims he sweet talked her with promises of marrying her one day.

[supernova]

30. He seems on his way to permanent swingerland

Rielle is what, 35 now?

In five years, I bet he's out playing the field again.

If he cheats with you; he'll cheat on you.

[JI7]

34. Rielle is 46

i don't think it was ever a case of wanting someone younger or hotter. Rielle is not even attractive. Elizabeth is far better looking.

i think she fed his ego. that whole new age crap and other things about her.

and i think he probably does really want to be with Rielle.

[No Elephants]

36. My sister says, "Adultery is like murder. The first time is hard."

[No Elephants]

35. No married man having an affair ever does that unless he is sincere.

So, I can see why she based a lot on that promise.

Of course, when the wife has terminal cancer, the promise could become more believable. But women who want married men don't seem to need more than his sincere word--and, of course, they're all sincere with their mistresses. Always. About everything. Especially things like marriage and true love.

[No Elephants]

38. Bob Shrum's book warned us. But, apparently Edwards fans really wanted to believe

whatever they wanted to believe about Edwards, just as Obama's fans really wanted to believe whatever they wanted to believe about him, just like Hillary's fans really wanted to believe whatever they wanted to believe about her.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498-2,00.html

[struggle4progress]

42. Sorry. He got my money too. And probably more of my time than most posters on this board gave.

I ran into them more than once during his Senate campaign. I think that back then they were a happy couple, and he cared about her and treated her well. I encountered him regularly in the campaign office. I also phone-banked with some of the family. Who am I gonna believe, some accusations on the internet or my own impressions? Eight or nine years later, of course, it seems my impressions were out-dated. Too bad. Can we give it rest now?

[No Elephants]

45. Give what a rest? That all of us ignored signals about the respective primary candidates we favored

No I don't think that would be a good lesson to forget. For one thing, we are in primary season again right now, albeit not Presidential primary season, and another Presidential primary season will be coming soon. I'm sorry you seemed to have seen my post as a rebuke of you or of only Edwards people. That was not the intent nor the wording of my post, though.

[struggle4progress]

43. oop-a-dupe

[No Elephants]

44. Too late to edit, but I linked the wrong Time story. This is the one I meant to link

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498-2,00.html

[Coventina]

39. I really liked him, believed in him. I'm just so disappointed.

I can only imagine what this is like for the one who shared his life.

:hug:

To our fellow DUer, EE. We love you!

[Haole Girl]

51. Me too

Hugs for Elizabeth. :hug:

:grouphug:

[Johnny Harpo]

46. SO WHAT?...Edwards Turns Out To Be Just Another Politician Who...

thought he wouldn't get caught.

It amazes me how any of these guys think they can hide this kind of stuff.

Heck...on a good day DUers can find out someone's underwear size in far less then 24 hours.

What hurts is that Edwards always came across as a decent guy who pretty much talked common sense.

Sort of like Tiger Woods.

[laureloak]

53. Mid-life crisis. n/t

[Tracer]

57. If my "friends" gossiped about me in publiic...

... they wouldn't be my friends for very long.

[rvablue]

60. Really? Have your friends asked you to lie about fathering a child

so you can escape looking like the cad you truly are?

Doubt it.

Being an apologist for Edwards at this point, doesn't reflect very well on the person doing the apologizing. After all, isn't that what Young was once. Didn't go too well, did it?

[EFerrari]

63. If you need to keep score with the people you call your friends

they're not your friends.

[EFerrari]

62. No kidding.

[gelinas]

70. Early signals were missed?

Edwards lived in Raleigh for years, and I have heard it said that the local newspaper, the News and Observer, hated him. The News and Observer just about always supports Democrats. In 2004, Edwards' home county voted for Bush. I guess the signs were there about Edwards, but nobody who knew wanted to talk about the real Edwards. How much time and money was wasted on this guy because he got a pass?

[Skittles]

74. less than was wasted on bush, who proceeded to destroy America

[Ken Burch]

72. I hope she takes him for every fucking penny in the divorce

There was NO FREAKING excuse for any of what he did. Especially for pretending 'til the bitter end that the baby wasn't his.

Asshole.

And we'd have lost by 30 points if he'd been nominated, so THIS PARTY ought to get support payments from the guy as well.