John Edwards, Rielle Hunter Engaged

Ugh, he's so foul. Feel sorry for his kids if this is true

Everyone assumes that his marriage was so happy-but having a perfect family was part of his job as a political candidate. We know nothing of his real life, of their marriage and his possible discontent. Perhaps he was staying with a woman he loved through her illness out of duty and respect...perhaps he was very lonely.
I'm not a fan of how it all went down....but if this is true, many people owe Rielle a big fat apology for treating her like a crazy lady.

they are on a collision course for the exact personality characteristics you cite. I cannot wait.

megan, he was a playboy in college. he is a disaster. he was still with his wife. he just can't keep himself zipped. too insecure and reille targeted him. look up her wild background. both very unstable people. and for him to campagin when he knew his wife had untreatable cancer.

From what I heard her say in an interview, she wanted him to campaign, despite her illness. He offered to give it up and she said not to, saying that she believed in what he was doing and didn't want to stand in the way of him and all the good he could do.

Who knows if the man we all knew, were willing to vote for, was really him or something she wanted him to be-that they wanted him to be.

It would be interesting to know how far back his cheating went while he was married....if it was something he did before her cancer.

And yes, he could be a narcissistic douche who doesn't care about anyone. He is a stranger to all of us...and I doubt anyone should be throwing stones from their glass castle.

I make it a personal habbit to not wish misery on others-depletes the karma bank!

why would she deserve an apology she knew he was married shouldn't that mean something?

Good point tess. Edwards chose his path ... every step of the way. And so did Ms Hunter. Yes, it still means something. I don't wish them ill at all; either of them. That would be way too judgemental of me.

But the facts are the facts. He broke vows, lied, and cheated ... R. aided and abetted it which means she is just as guilty as he is. No honor and nothing redeeming about what they've done ...

Pehaps there isn't anything honorable or redeeming in their actions, but there is something human. With the divorce rate hovering 50%, this story is not an uncommon one.

I'm with Tess too, she should of have told him to sort out his marriage first and then think about their relationship. If he was unhappy in his marriage why didn't he be man enough to end his marriage sooner and go off with his other woman without it all getting unpleasant? or was he too worried about his image? It's a sad state of affairs because Elizabeth's poor children have suffered during their ugly divorce battle and on top of that their father's betrayal.

The husband very seldome marries the mistress...is this his way at getting back at Elizabeth for not mentioning him in her will?

I believe he is in her will, but if he marries Rielle, he gets nothing. I read that somewhere.

As long as he takes care of his kids, that's what is important.

Exactly. I firmly believe that his shenanigans killed Elizabeth. If he marries Rielle - talk about nail in the coffin. But he has young children that just lost their mother ... time to stop being a jackass.

No, John Edwards was not in the will.......I just heard that on the news......Elizabeth never even so much as mentioned his name!!! Everything went to the kids, with the oldest daughter named as executor.

right. she cut him out of the will, and that was a good thing.

Yes, I saw that on the news tonight. Sorry. I think I heard what I posted above like 2 weeks ago.

Again, I would be more surprised if he were in the will. I don't think many divoced people include their estranged spouse in their wills...she had her money, he has his...naturally it would all go to the children.

The man is always supposed to go make the money, be a perfect father and sacrifice himself for everyone else's well being. No one ever cares if the husband is unhappy...only if the bills aren't paid.
Clearly, given that he was a presidential candidate, divorce was not an option. Every president is a family man...it is a job requirement. I have a hard time believing that Elizabeth didn't have her own ambition in being the first lady.
And marrying his baby-momma to retaliate against a dead woman seems a bit silly. Perhaps they were just in love... that said, this is pretty tasteless.

It's just morally wrong. I don't care what the guy does as long as he takes care of his kids. I feel for Elizabeth. Regardless of the situation, no one deserves what she got.

and reille is a piece of work. She knew what and who she was after. She targeted John and dug in, knowing he was a weak man for women. John and Rielle will see their day, beleive me. It is a recipe for disaster:

Selfish, narcissistic and insecure John
Selfish, manipulative Reille

=

Collision course. Another just like Reille will come along and dig her claws into him. Maybe not until 2020? but then Reille will go ballistic.

Great novel idea.

I watched her interview with Oprah. When she talked about how they met I didn't buy her story that she didn't know who he was...it didn't add up and I would agree that she has totally picked-up on his vulnerabilities and made herself the woman he thinks he wants her to be.

No comment about the baby issue.

Despite our shared mistress status, I'm not her biggest fan.

Hi Megan, you said: The man is always supposed to go make the money, be a perfect father and sacrifice himself for everyone else's well being. No one ever cares if the husband is unhappy...only if the bills aren't paid.

If I knew him personally I might feel some sympathy for him (but my opinion and what I'd tell him to his face would be exactly the same as what I'll say here).

In fact I do feel sympathy for him ... some ... a little ... as I would and do for anyone who ends up in the limelight over something silly or nasty they have done to themselves.

And on that note, the plight of men in general aside, Edwards chose what he chose. He chose politics and all that comes with it. He chose Elizabeth and all that comes with marriage.

He also chose to take a mistress (maybe more than one?). And in making that choice he also chose all that followed (he chose all the consequences too).


Clearly, given that he was a presidential candidate, divorce was not an option.

Divorce was most certainly an option. He chose not to go that route; and for whatever reason (like many powerful men - and women?) he chose deceit, and betrayal over divorce and/or honesty or honor .... He chose his own path every step of the way.


I have a hard time believing that Elizabeth didn't have her own ambition in being the first lady.

Which has no bearing on Edward's own willing choice to violate his marriage vows. +shrug+

Megan van Eyck Jan 6, 2011, 11:42am EST
The man is always supposed to go make the money, be a perfect father and sacrifice himself for everyone else's well being. No one ever cares if the husband is unhappy...only if the bills aren't paid.
Clearly, given that he was a presidential candidate, divorce was not an option. Every president is a family man...it is a job requirement. I have a hard time believing that Elizabeth didn't have her own ambition in being the first lady.
And marrying his baby-momma to retaliate against a dead woman seems a bit silly. Perhaps they were just in love... that said, this is pretty tasteless.

Hi Lee-

I don't think Edwards wanted to blaze the trail being the first divorced presidential candidate. The right wing would have attacked his inability to make marriage work, would have looked for girlfriends and said he did not hold true to traditional family vaules. He was an economic and political force-his divorce would have had negative repercussions for everyone who depended on him: his family, his staff and the democratic party. If you recall, he was supposed to be the next John Kennedy.

My point about Elizabeth's possible ambition is that her marriage served her personal needs (to what degree we'll never know) and advanced her career. She did not want to be a first lady who picked out China and was known for her fashion sense-she wanted to be a force in her own right. I wonder if she would have let him back out...allowed him to just be a senator and not a political messiah. Did she love him, or the man she wanted him to be?

All of that said, I just read an article that said Rielle met with the children and wanted them to call her "mommy." If that is true, it is really twisted. No one can ever repalce a child's mother-and no one should ever try. I have two children and if anyone every tried that kind of a stunt I would haunt them until they ran screaming mad over a cliff!

Well, the kids are clearly taken care of...and perhaps this has been in the works for some time and the public is just the last to know. She has always said that he is a wonderful father and provider. One can cheat on a spouse and still be an outstanding parent.

I'll never forget an interview I saw with Elizabeth Edwards more than a few years ago. She was talking about her recovery and the time spent in a hospital bed-alone. She said something about how lonely it could be then caught herself and something nice about how John was with her often when he wasn't campaigning. At the time I thought she put his candidacy ahead of their marriage...I'm not saying that any of this is her fault, but I do believe that, before all of this came out, she was more enamoured with his role as politician than with him as a man. At the end of the day, every man wants to be loved for who he is, underneath it all. She has even said that she put his run for president ahead of her health issues...maybe he did it all for her.
I have always thought that he knew his wife, probably the love of his life, was dying and couldn't handle the thought of living a life alone, without her.

Perhaps. All valid points.

A father is not an indentured servant. Yes, if he was unhappy, he should have changed his life around. But, like so many other men, he felt duty bound to provide for his family and fulfill his wife's expectations. We will never know if he would rather have stayed by her side and passed on it all...if she pushed him away for the White House.
I'm not saying that he is right, just that we should reserve harsh bitter judgement and condemnation since we have not walked in their shoes.

What a sleeze ball John Edwards is.........he sure couldn't wait long till his wife had been buried to announce this news.......he is so disgusting...I have NO respect for the creep anymore, that's for sure.....I am so glad Elizabeth did not even have his name in her will.....not at all....HA!!!
I'm sure that the children will want little, if anything, to do with Edwards' mistress......they'd be best off, just staying completely away from her.

The day after the funeral she reportedly said: OK John, I will marry you now.

She is a first-class manipulative bee witch and John is a first-class, good-looking good for nothing.

In college and law school, he was quite the get around, not studious, but a get around. Elizabeth was studious but not John.

When dating someone known to be a playboy, one should take note: This personality characteristic DOES NOT CHANGE.

he had proposed prior to Elizabeth's death. I want to see him fail in all endeavors. I am so glad his political careeer is dead forever, but I don't want to see him succeed in talks, talk shows, reality shows, tv or books. Nothing. Nor the bee witch.

In novels, the Alpha hero - the good looking, bad-boy stud always works out because in real life, bad news and stay away. Beta heroes are the ones we should marry. The sweet, honest guy. He might be good looking or not, but he is a straight arrow and honest.

omg this guy is a F----- A------.... he already cheated, he had a baby ... now he's announcing he's getting married after his wife dies... as for her what a S---... the both belong together.... there SICK... why wait after he death... they hurt her already why didnt they go the whole nine yards...

this is AWFUL!!!!! they could have least waited for a while......that is if the facts r true some of these magizines carryu things a little far. but OMG!!!!! 2 weeks after his wife died...where are his feelings...his concience.......AURGH!!! MEN!!!

He's a douche.