Rielle Has More Secrets?

One can only speculate as to why it is Rielle Hunter apparently asked the judge in the John Edwards campaign finance trial to keep some of the trial exhibits secret.  The order issued on Thursday by Judge Catherine Eagles doesn't reveal what exactly Hunter is trying to keep under wraps.
After recent legal proceedings surrounding the sex tape the two love birds made together, one would think they’ve run out of things to be publicly embarrassed about. So, whatever it is Rielle would like to see suppressed must be quite the item!
Perhaps it’s a tape of her salacious romp with Barney, Kermit, and the other stuffed buddies on the bed with her during her infamous (and oh so classy) GQ photo spread.
It’s my understanding that Barney has yet to fully recover, despite extensive counseling.
It’s impossible to feel anything but sympathy for baby Quinn. As if Mommie isn’t bad enough, then there’s Daddy. He’s a man without moral character who first cheats on his dying wife, then tries to cover it up by taking $750,000 from a 97 year old admirer (who no doubt believed she was making legitimate campaign contributions) and employing it in an elaborate “keep the mistress hidden and quiet scheme”. Once again, I only feel sympathy for baby Quinn. Can you spell t-h-e-r-a-p-y?  God bless you, Elizabeth...

Shocker: John Edwards Accepts No Blame!

     I suppose one shouldn't be surprised that the key message emanating from the John Edwards defense team is that former aide Andrew Young is to blame for any violations of the law that may have taken place in the Rielle Hunter affair and baby fiasco during and after the aborted 2008 Edwards presidential campaign.  The lawyers want us to know that while their tarnished ex-golden boy client may be a poor excuse for a human being, we should apparently conclude he's no lawbreaker.
     It remains disappointing, to say the least, that John Edwards will never take responsibility for his actions.  Granted, Andrew Young is no saint, but it appears as though John and Rielle will never acknowledge, much less apologize for, the ongoing humiliation and embarrassment they inflicted on Elizabeth until her final breath.  Their actions were nothing short of despicable, but now the question becomes, were they legal?
     Fred Baron served as the Edwards campaign finance chairman, and he maintained shortly before his death in late October, 2008 that he had provided financial assistance to Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young without Edwards' knowledge or direction.  It's highly questionable the same can be said regarding  money given by then 97 year old Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, with whom Edwards met privately on several occasions.  Beginning in May of 2007, Mellon provided more than $725,000 to John Edwards over the course of an eight month period.  Check notes obscurely referred to "chairs", "bookcases", and an"antique Charleston table".  The FBI interviewed Mellon on two occasions in 2010 as they believed these funds were used to secretly support Hunter during her preganancy and subsequently following the birth or her illicit child with Edwards.  Mellon's son and three grandsons appeared before a grand jury in December of 2010, and Edwards was indicted in June of 2011 for using campaign funds to help cover-up an affair and pregnancy during the 2008 presidential campaign.  One week prior to this indictment Edwards met privately with Mellon.  As she is now considered to be a potential witness, the judge has forbidden Edwards from meeting her again.
     Taking into account these unusual financial ties, it's hard to imagine John Edwards didn't completely control the money flow.  Likewise, it's impossible to believe that someone as reportedly unstable and media hungry as Rielle would allow herself to be silenced and willingly go along with a cover up of this nature unless she believed her "Johnny" was at the helm.
     I'm sure that those of us who once believed in John Edwards and what he professed to stand for now believe to the depth of our souls that he not only knew about but actually conceived of this entire misappropriation of campaign funds... anything to hide the truth. 

Elizabeth Edwards Revisited

Standing in the supermarket checkout line the other day, I noticed the face of Elizabeth Edwards on the cover of the latest issue of "People" magazine. The accompanying headline asked something along the lines of "how much more can she take?".

It suddenly dawned on me that over the course of the past few months she'd had to contend with two books (Halperin & Heilemann's "Game Change" and Andrew Young's "The Politician"), national headlines announcing that she and her husband John had separated, and, most recently, her husband's mistress lasciviously posed in the pages of "GQ" while psychobabbling inanities. How much more indeed?

Much of the media attention mentioned above has painted Elizabeth in an unfavorable light, as if they--or any of us, for that matter--can possibly know what it's been like to walk in her shoes...to lose a child, to fight the battle with cancer once, only to learn that it had returned, and was terminal. Finally, Elizabeth Edwards has had to deal with a very public betrayal by her partner in marriage for over thirty years, with every detail and scene played out in public. Perhaps, as some of the stories mention, she was ambitious. God forbid we're still dealing with the absurd resentments and recriminations that ambitious and intelligent women have faced throughout our history! Perhaps she's had her moments of anger, and even paranoia. It would seem, in looking back at the 'big picture', that she wouldn't be human if she hadn't experienced both. I suspect the devious and hurtful actions of John Edwards and Rielle Hunter might even break the spirit of a saint, let alone a mere mortal.

I once supported John Edwards, and believed his populist agenda was genuine. The fact that he has so thoroughly disgraced himself does not mean that the issues or causes he once championed were without merit, however. Now, quite frankly, I tend to believe that Elizabeth was the more thoughtful, and progressive, of the two. It certainly appears she was more of a policy "wonk" than John. So, if at any point she feels the desire to speak out on those issues again, I would hope she realizes the podium remains available, and her voice is still respected. The choice, of course, needs to be hers.

In the meantime, for her sake, I wish her restorative quiet time, and inner peace.

Farewell, Mr. O'Malley

The sky seems a little less blue, and the birds heralding the imminent arrival of spring are sounding somewhat muted...at least to my ears. So, what lies behind this general malaise I've experienced the past few days? Have I been worn down by the never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, by the cost in human life, not to mention the financial drain approaching one trillion dollars? Is it the incessant din of partisan wrangling over health care, jobs, financial reform, and every other issue on the national horizon? Could the cause be something simpler? Perhaps a visceral reaction set off by the unwelcome return of Rielle Hunter and "Johnny Edwards" to the national media consciousness?
While there's certainly nothing to inspire a 'dance of joy' associated with any of the above, the reason is actually a more decidedly personal one.
Mr. O'Malley passed away this week, just shy of his 112th birthday. If I didn't know better, I'd be scrambling for the record books to measure this achievement. I didn't have the pleasure of getting to know him until late in his life, but he nevertheless provided me with new insights, and caused me to re-examine some long-standing priorities.
Mr. O'Malley looked forward to each and every day, and enjoyed life to the fullest. He was oblivious to a person's race, age, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or appearance. Quite simply, he did not judge. He enjoyed the company of a wide assortment of people, and always welcomed the stranger. Mr. O'Malley manifested love without reservation. I found myself believing that the spark, or light, that was clearly present in his eyes just might answer questions of faith more succinctly (and accurately) than many a theologian or religious text.
O'Malley happened to be a golden retriever, and, as previously mentioned, he was just shy of his 16th birthday ("dog years"). He was a gentle, smiling soul, and I will miss him. I wish I'd had the opportunity to know him sooner, but I will be forever grateful that our paths ultimately crossed.