Free Republic

America is disgusted by the behavior of John Edwards — but the jury is still out on his wife................ ----------------------------------------------------------- We seem to be developing two distinct schools of thought: Elizabeth as tragic/heroic victim and Elizabeth as down-in-the-mud-with-her-husband villainess. Bluebeard’s wife versus Lady Macbeth, as it were. Predictably, People has taken the lead on Elizabeth as tragic heroine. In a fairly skimpy article, various friends and relatives are quoted on her anguish and her dedication to her children. She’s being strong in the face of hardship, the argument goes, because she’s that kind of gal.........

A little infidelity never hurt U.S. Margery Eagan By Margery Eagan Sunday, August 17, 2008 - When John F. Kennedy was president, he slept with, among many others, a big-time Chicago mobster’s moll. Talk about blackmail opportunities. But barring some police action that made such indiscretions public, the press then did not report on adulterous politicians, even presidents. What they knew, they ignored. The personal was not political, and was deemed unfit to print. We were all better off. In the week since John Edwards confessed his affair with a woman once notorious as a cocaine-addled sex machine, the so-called...

Huffington Post's female pundits enraged over cheating John EdwardsBy David Paulin Over at the lefty Huffington Post, John Edwards' confession of being a cheat has, interestingly, provoked fury among some of the gal pundits. They're mercilessly trashing the pretty boy populist -- spitting a toxic venom that even their like-minded male counterparts cannot match. Some, incredibly, are even digging their nails into Edwards' wife Elizabeth (who is battling cancer) for having aided and abetted her husband's public lies. What's going on? Could these ladies be writing with some deeper understanding of the issues at play, perhaps having suffered, like so...

What little doubt remained that John Edwards is the father of Rielle Hunter’s baby evaporated Saturday when a lawyer for the former senator’s paramour issued a statement declaring that there would be no DNA test to determine paternity. Little doubt remained because of a dog that has stubbornly refused to bark since the National Enquirer first reported in December that Edwards had impregnated the divorcee he hired as his campaign videographer. That silent dog is libel law. Edwards is a famously successful trial lawyer. If the Enquirer’s accusation had been false, the former Democratic presidential candidate would have sued, and...

The outrage over John Edward's admitted affair with a filmmaker transcends what we have seen with most recent sex scandals. This partly results from his repeated denials of the affair. Much more important, of course, is the fact that it took place while his wife was battling cancer. The two of them had already dealt with the tragedy of losing a teenage son, and the public is furious that Edwards caused his wife, who agreed to campaign for him even after being diagnosed with incurable bone cancer, more pain. Why, people want to know, do men who have it all...

The full version of Bob Woodruff's interview with John Edwards just aired on ABC, figuring Edwards alternately penitent, defensive, and dismissive of the tabloid reports that unearthed his affair. He also, in explaining his view that his dalliance could remain private, cited Republican John McCain's reported affair at the end of his first marriage almost three decades ago. "What I was thinking was this was something that was personal to my own family," Edwards said, citing other public figures having survived extramarital affairs. He recalled, he said, having heard "John Mccain talk about the mistakes that he’s made in his...

Having an affair can help to save a struggling marriage, according to a new, controversial self-help book. Mira Kirshenbaum, who has over 30 years' experience as a marriage therapist, says the 'right kind' of affair can be a positive thing, acting to "jolt people from their inertia". The author of When Good People Have Affairs, published this week, argues that because society has so far failed to have a sympathetic discussion of infidelity, the positive sides of cheating have been ignored. However, she insists that most cheating spouses should never own up, because revealing the infidelity is more damaging than...

HUMILIATED Bill Clinton has ordered Hillary to ditch the beautiful campaign aide who dragged her into a lesbian love scandal, sources say. In this shocking world exclusive, political insiders tell GLOBE a berserk Bill told his wife she must choose between him or Huma Abedin, the sultry brunette whose presence at her side - day and night - sparked an explosion of gay rumors. (MORE)

Politicians appear to be on a whistle-stop tour of infidelity. It's the McGreevey-Dann-Spitzer show — and then some. Infidelity is big theater these days, providing both spectacle and cautionary tale to eager onlookers and press alike. Adultery and its attendant behaviors have created a popular culture and cottage industry all their own, driving political strategy, press coverage and — on rare occasions — a few positive outcomes. America is along for the ride — and ready to hear more about the greater implications of infidelity. "We love it. It confirms our worst fears about politicians and confirms our suspicions," talk...

In the digital age, having an affair has never been easier. Author Angela Levin spent five months interviewing middle-class professionals for an extensive study that charts the rise of the no-strings-attached* relationship. In the first of a three-part investigation, she reveals why the UK is in the grip of an infidelity epidemic. 'Been left parked in the garage of marriage too long, battery getting flat and needs somebody to give it a spark of life, full tank and ready to go. "Present owner does not like going for a ride any more but am not up for sale. Seeking discreet...

We really haven’t come a long way baby, have we? Certainly not in the case of women married to elected officials. For the past few days since the Spitzer scandal broke, all anyone has been talking about is why? Why would a guy....risk losing everything for a couple of evenings with a hooker... I’m asking why, too. Why would a beautiful and brainy wife with three wonderful children allow herself to be put in this hideous situation for even 49 seconds -- the time it took to apologize. Much less do it all over again two days later when her...

We've seen it before when the walls come crashing down on public figures because of extramarital affairs – women who remain committed to their relationship. Experts say there are many reasons wives don't leave. In Old School America, an affair often meant the end of a relationship. While they romped around, politicians' infidelities usually remained behind closed doors. And yet with so much publicity, most wives in recent scandals have decided not to end the relationship. Pamela Druckerman is author of Lust in Translation: Infidelity from Tokyo to Tennessee. "The reason why political spouses stand by their men, for the...

LONDON (Reuters) - When Richard Martinez goes to a nightclub or bar, he often goes alone. But the 38-year-old former RAF officer wastes no time in heading for a target -- a woman -- to flirt with and flatter. Martinez will not try too hard, but will allow himself to be drawn into conversation and, if asked, will give out his phone number for a potential future date. Martinez is a "honey trapper" -- or as he likes to call himself, an "integrity tester" -- one of a growing team of private detectives who are hired by wives, husbands or...

A Minnesota National Guardsman is suing his wife and her boyfriend here, saying they drove him deep into debt while he was deployed in Iraq. Kimberly Scullen, 26, of Swisher, used power of attorney privileges to spend nearly all of Andrew F. Scullen's active duty pay while he was overseas, according to the petition filed on behalf of Scullen, 37, of Hastings, Minn., in Johnson County District Court. Andrew Scullen says in the suit Kimberly Scullen used the money for trips, luxuries and cash payments to her boyfriend, Nicholas Hale. Andrew Kimberly also bought a car and property in his...

KATIE QUERIES CANDIDATES ON INFIDELITY Tue Dec 19 2007 14:49:22 ET This week the CBS EVENING NEWS continues it's series 'Primary Questions' where Katie Couric sits down with the presidential candidates and asks what makes them tick... everything from losing their tempers to the biggest mistake they've ever made. Wednesday night they tackle the issue of infidelity! Senator Hillary Clinton KATIE COURIC: Harry Truman once said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Some voters say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Can...

DETROIT (AP) - Detroit's city council has approved $8.4 million to settle lawsuits that included claims of infidelity involving Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. A Wayne County jury had awarded $6.5 million to former deputy police chief Gary Brown and officer Harold Nelthrope for unlawful dismissals in their whistleblower suit. Interest had raised the amount to eight million dollars. The council also has approved $400,000 for former officer Walter Harris who has a pending suit against the city. Harris has claimed harassment because he knew of alleged extramarital affairs involving Kilpatrick.

[blah, blah, blah... at the end he makes his point] Sue has been fairly typical of the women I have encountered on this website. She seemed lonely, bored and dissatisfied with her life. All she could see ahead of her was an endless round of cooking, cleaning, career and children. Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting to interrupt a destructive, depressing cycle to your life. But what is shocking is the cold and calculating approach of these women, and the assumption that secret meetings with a married man can cure all the ills they see in their own families....

Sexual scandals don't automatically pack a knockout punch for today's politicians, but the circumstances matter to voters. That's the view of political observers as they assess the political fallout from the most recent revelations involving Sen. David Vitter (R) of Louisiana and Antonio Villaraigosa (D), the mayor of Los Angeles.... ...If the Pew poll is correct, Republican Senator Vitter may face a more negative reaction from conservative voters in Louisiana than Democrat Villaraigosa in liberal L.A. However, he also quickly admitted wrongdoing after news leaked out. "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife...

Marital sex single greatest HIV risk for women around the world. For a growing number of women in rural Mexico – and around the world – marital sex represents their single greatest risk for HIV infection. According to a new Mailman School of Public Health Study, because marital infidelity by men is so deeply ingrained across many cultures, existing HIV prevention programs are putting a growing number of women at risk of developing the HIV virus. The findings, indicating that globally, prevention programs that take a "just say no” approach and encourage men to be monogamous are unlikely to be...

"....Latin Americans aren’t unique in getting worked up about cheating, real or imagined. Everyone does. That mythical country where people fool around and their spouses don’t mind doesn’t exist. Even the French aren’t laissez-faire about affairs. Though they expect their presidents to philander, in their own lives they’re just as faithful as Americans; in both countries, about 4 percent of married men say they’ve had more than one sex partner in the last year. In this era of love matches, monogamy is the preferred arrangement practically everywhere, and cheating is carried out in secret. The big differences are in how...

“I’m not sitting here as some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette, I'm sitting here because I love him and I respect him,” said Hillary Clinton to Steve Kroft of “60 Minutes” in 1992. As her Uriah Heepish most ’umble lip-biting husband sat beside her, faking remorse because he was running for the presidency, the two successfully used the leftwing show to help them defuse a firestorm of criticism about the Arkansas governor’s 12-year affair with Gennifer Flowers.

Don't pair up with matching genes 11:30 05 January 2007 NewScientist.com news service Matt Kaplan They say opposites attract – and a couple’s differences may be key to lasting happiness, according to a new genetic study of people in relationships. The findings were so predictive, that a DNA test could one day reveal how likely a woman is to cheat on her partner, the study suggests. Psychologist Christine Garver-Apgar at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, US, and colleagues investigated whether genetic similarities among romantically involved couples predicted how faithful and sexually responsive the partners were to one another....

The people who are running from bed to bed creating disasters for themselves and everyone else don't seem to know what they are doing. They just don't get it. But why should they? There is a mythology about infidelity that shows up in the popular press and even in the mental health literature that is guaranteed to mislead people and make dangerous situations even worse. Some of these myths are: 1. Everybody is unfaithful; it is normal, expectable behavior. Mozart, in his comic opera Cosi Fan Tutti, insisted that women all do it, but a far more common belief is...

The National Enquirer splashes this week with a shocking story about Sen. Ted Kennedy’s secret love child with a Cape Cod woman whom the mag says he dated during his days as a swinging single. According to the tabloid’s source, the boy, named Christopher, just celebrated his 21st birthday and is “mature enough to make his own choices about his background and biological father.” A Kennedy family confidante told the Enquirer, “This is one of the biggest secrets in the Kennedy family and known to only a few people including Ted’s ex-wife, Joan.” As for the senator, his spokesgal Melissa...

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s chief legal counsel is asking lawmakers investigating the firing of state employees to also help expose MD4Bush -- the Internet chat-room visitor whose remarks were the catalyst for the probe. Chief Counsel Jervis S. Finney told Sen. Thomas McLain Middleton, a Charles Democrat and co-chairman of the Special Committee on State Employee Rights and Protections, to use subpoenas to "seek the truth as it relates to MD4Bush." MD4Bush prodded longtime Ehrlich aide Joseph F. Steffen Jr. into a chat-room discussion in February about rumored infidelity by Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, a Democratic candidate for governor.

Even though he was the hero of the playoffs and the World Series, Derek Lowe's off-field antics – chiefly his drinking and womanizing – doomed his chances to remain with the Red Sox, sources say. Lowe, who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers this season after the Sox showed no interest in re-signing him, just walked out on his wife of seven years and their three kids to move in with Left Coast TV sports gal Carolyn Hughes. The move shocked his heartbroken bride, Trinka, but according to those who know D. Lo, it wasn't entirely out of character. ``He...

Derek Lowe, the ex-Red Sox hurler who was the hero of last year's ALCS and the World Series, has abandoned his heartbroken wife and kids and moved in with a TV reporter who covers his new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's according to Trinka Lowe, Derek's wife of seven years and the mother of their three kids, who said her husband has left her for Fox Sports Net's Carolyn Hughes. ``This is definitely the worst time of my life,'' Trinka told the Track. ``I don't even know how to describe it. I still love him. He's still the father...

AN IMPOTENT husband who encouraged his wife to sleep with other men stabbed her to death when she told him that she was leaving for a lover 30 years her junior. Christopher Willsher, 53, lost control and attacked his wife, Jeanette, with a kitchen knife, stabbing her 112 times. Willsher was sentenced yesterday to six years imprisonment after a judge at Plymouth Crown Court accepted his plea of guilty to manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility. The court was told that Willsher had entered into the unconventional arrangement with his 48-year-old wife after diabetes, chronic alcohol abuse and heart...

May 19, 1:22 AM (ET) The land crew waits for the arrival of the USS Nimitz into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii May 18, 2005. The... Full Image Google sponsored links Eliminate Your Debt Today - Consolidate Your Loans Into Easy Affordable Payments & Start Saving! www.next-day-loans.com Get out of Debt - Free consultation on your options from professional counselors Preceptfinancial.com By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans on a U.S. House of Representatives committee retreated from a sweeping ban on women in combat support and service units, and instead put into law the Pentagon's policy barring women from direct ground combat...

....In the days following Steffen's firing, Ehrlich pledged an internal investigation that would "get to the bottom" of Steffen's activities. More recently, the governor has urged the media to investigate how the story came to light. In particular, Ehrlich has suggested pursuing the identity of MD4BUSH, an Internet user who asked Steffen leading questions about O'Malley on the conservative Web site, http://www.freerepublic.com . Steffen, using the screen name NCPAC, had discussed the rumors before MD4BUSH appeared on the site. WBAL commentators yesterday stressed that Catherine O'Malley had raised the issue publicly long before Steffen had. Paul E. Schurick, Ehrlich's communications...

How America can end its divorce epidemic Posted: April 7, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern By David Kupelian © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com When 32-year-old Paul and his 17-year-old fiancee Anna walked into the Norristown, Pa., courthouse to apply for a marriage license, the justice turned them down flat when he learned they had known each other for only one day. Yet after much pleading and persuasion, the judge reluctantly granted them their license, and Anna and Paul were married three days later. The wedding, held at Paul's brother's house, wasn't much – only four people in attendance, no wedding gown, no flowers,...

Last year, Sammie Evans wound up dying from a broken neck as a rookie police officer tried to arrest him for having an open container of beer. His death incited a New Year's Day protest and claims of widespread police brutality from leaders in the black community.

Most men would rather marry or date their secretary than their boss because they instinctively fear that women in positions of authority will cheat on them, American research suggests. Psychologists who carried out tests on 328 volunteers found that male subjects were more likely to be attracted to subordinate colleagues than those of a similar or more senior status. Men are genetically programmed to avoid stronger women as potential mothers to their children because they perceive them to be more likely to be able to attract other sexual partners, the study found. Stephanie Brown, the lead author of the study,...

"The devil made me do it." That age-old excuse for sin, a way to deny personal responsibility for one"s actions, is no longer fashionable. As I wrote in a Creation magazine editorial "Evolution made me do it!" in June 2000, nowadays, whether it"s homosexuality, infidelity or whatever, it"s become, "My genes made me do it." And, because the blind forces of evolution are supposed to be responsible for shaping our genes, that rapidly translates as, "Evolution made me do it". Thus the title of the abovementioned editorial, which pointed to a Time magazine cover story that proclaimed "Infidelity? It"s in...

November 25, 2004 -- Women who cheat on their partners now have the perfect excuse — my genes made me do it. New research reveals that female infidelity and the number of sexual partners women have are partially influenced by genetic makeup. British scientists quizzed 1,600 pairs of identical and non-identical twins about their sexual behavior, how many people they'd slept with and their feelings about two-timing their partners. The average age of the women was 50, the average number of sexual partners was four or five, about 20 percent admitted to infidelity, 25 percent were divorced and 98 percent...

Genetic factors influence female infidelity and the number of sexual partners women have, British scientists said on Wednesday. They studied the responses of 1,600 pairs of identical and non-identical twins in a confidential survey to look at the impact of genes on behavior. "We found that around 40 percent of the influence on the number of sexual partners and infidelity were due to genetic factors," Professor Tim Spector, director of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London, told a news conference. But he added that environment and upbringing also play a part in explaining the variation in...

LOS ANGELES — Those “headed for the cheatin’ side of town,” in the words of the Eagles, are having a lot of help these days — most of it on the Internet. The business of extramarital affairs is a booming one, with a lot of online companies more than willing to play a part for a price. A slew of Web sites have cropped up offering dates, matches and even lies to the already-married who have strayed — or want to. Among them: Philanderers.com, MarriedSecrets.com, PerfectAlibi.com (with good stories for the unfaithful to use to cover their tracks) and AshleyMadison.com,...

When it comes to relationships the adage "cheaters never prosper" seems to say it all, but as many women know, men are often interested in more than prosperity. How do things get to the point where he might cheat on you? After all, you're an attractive, funny, sexy and smart woman. You should be enough for him, right? In an ideal world, yes — but when was the last time your world was ideal? Not recently, if you can relate in the least bit to the sting of infidelity. There are numerous reasons why men may endanger a relationship by...

Clinton Tells '60 Minutes' of Infidelity Thursday June 17, 2004 1:01 AM NEW YORK (AP) - Former President Bill Clinton called his marital infidelity a ``terrible moral error'' whose disclosure to his wife put him ``in the doghouse,'' during an interview scheduled for this Sunday's ``60 Minutes.'' Why did he commit adultery with White House intern Monica Lewinsky? ``For the worst possible reason,'' Clinton said. ``Just because I could. I think that's just about the most morally indefensible reason anybody could have for doing anything.'' Questioned by CBS News anchor Dan Rather, Clinton said he, his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton,...

In first public comments on talk that's traveled around the state and nation, Perry says his marriage is fine and castigates those who spread rumors online. By Ken Herman © 2004 AMERICAN-STATESMAN Thursday, March 4, 2004 Gov. Rick Perry, speaking out for the first time about a widely circulated rumor about his personal life and professional future, said Thursday that he has been targeted by "an obvious, orchestrated effort" launched by political foes. For almost two months, variations of the rumors have swirled around the Capitol, been repeated among friends across the state, been investigated by reporters from around the...

<p>The story is being shushed around the family dinner table &#8212; and in newspaper city rooms &#8212; but all the neighbors are talking about it.</p> <p>What the neighbors are talking about are rumors of marital infidelity by Democratic White House front-runner John Kerry, and they have learned about them from the Internet, talk radio and the foreign press.</p>

John Kerry stays in the saddle by galloping past kiss-and-tell tattle. Kiss-and-Tell Tattle and Rides in the Saddle.· (Each line below is a limerick not subdivided, but you can discern what are the break-points for each line) By whom was John Kerry assailed by claims he's a Clintonesque male? Though Drudge has been mum on who beat the drum, it seems that such beating has failed. A pundit named Crawford¹ explained the Drudge-source by him can't be named but said, not implied, the rumor described was recently "shopped"² by Lehane. At PoliSat.Com we are betting the timing and place of...

From the NYTimes article "Clark Comes Aboard Kerry Campaign" by Sheryl Gay Stolberg: Earlier in the day, Mr. Kerry proclaimed himself a "fighter" in an interview with Don Imus, the radio talk show host. Asked why Mr. Bush's National Guard service during the Vietnam era as well as the senator's own history as a decorated Vietnam veteran who became a war protester were an issue, Mr. Kerry said, "It seems to be the war that won't ever go away," and called it "the pivotal event of our generation." He said of his decision to oppose the Vietnam War, "Look, I...

<p>Early Friday morning, radio personality Don Imus went public with the question that newsrooms across the country were wrestling with.</p> <p>As an Internet-fueled rumor about John Kerry gained steam, Imus wondered aloud: "Do you think I should ask him?"</p> <p>"We've chosen not to report it," CNN's Lou Dobbs told the New York radio host on the air. "I'm not interested in the story."</p>

"This is more excitement than we're ever used to having," she said. Calabrese was scanning the crowd of 20 or so media members that had gathered on Madeline Drive outside the home of her neighbors. Local print and television media, a CNN camera crew, an NBC crew, a New York Times reporter and two reporters that are employed by an agency that works for The (London) Sun had staked out the house. Calabrese seemed more fascinated with the media attention than with the possibility that the family's daughter reportedly had a relationship with Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. "The story...

DEMOCRATIC presidential frontrunner Senator John Kerry today vowed to hit back at any dirty tricks ahead of the US election as he was asked in public for the first time about an alleged affair. An internet gossip site today reported a past relationship with a young woman, but none of the mainstream US media touched the story. When asked about the report on MSNBC television, the Massachusetts senator and Vietnam war hero said he knew about the allegations, but he shrugged off any hint of controversy. "People are talking about it," said presenter Don Imus. Kerry replied: "Well, there is...

According to news reports across the Internet and in various international publications, Democratic Presidential front-runner John Kerry may have had an extramarital affair with a 22-year old blonde intern. As first reported by the Drudge Report on Thursday, a full-scale investigation into this is underway at Time Magazine, ABC News, the Washington Post, the Hill, and the Associated Press. But the real story today may be the lack of coverage by the major American news media. According to a story published today in MensNewsDaily.com, "A source at one of the major television networks (said) that they are specifically forbidden to...

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FRI FEB 13, 2004 10:38:05 ET XXXXX KERRY ON IMUS: 'THERE'S NOTHING TO REPORT, NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT . . . NO' Democratic presidential frontrunner John Kerry told IMUS IN THE MORNING "there is nothing to report" after a DRUDGE REPORT exclusive revealed the frantic behind-the-scenes drama surrounding a woman who recently fled the country, reportedly at the prodding of Kerry! The nature and details of a claimed two-year relationship, beginning in the Spring of 2001, between a young woman and Kerry is at the center of serious investigations at several media outlets. After being approached...

Kerry will respond to infidelity charge Report says woman fled to Africa after inquiry by top news producer Posted: February 12, 2004 9:45 p.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Sen. John Kerry plans to respond to allegations of infidelity published yesterday by the Drudge Report, according to the Internet newssite. Drudge reported several major news outlets are engaged in a serious investigation of Kerry's relationship with a former Associated Press reporter. The AP, Time magazine, ABC News and the Washington Post have been working on a story about a woman who began a two-year relationship with the Massachusetts senator in the...