Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Elizabeth as Enabler: Ambition Drove Them Both

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted May 7, 2009 9:50 AM CDT

(Newser) – Questioning Elizabeth Edwards’ motives may be a “modern sacrilege,” but Kathleen Parker is doing it anyway. Yes, she’s endured a lot, but she’s the one who dragged herself back into the public spotlight with her book. “Victimhood is a reliable insulator against criticism, but something doesn’t feel right about this tell-all,” says Parker. “Is this how couples protect their children from further emotional scarring?”

We now know Elizabeth knew about the affair. She says she told John not to run, but she was unquestionably a massive part of the campaign. “As long as she was there, his innocence was assumed. Family unity? Or conspiracy to commit public fraud?” At the time, one wondered how a man could run for president while his wife was terminally ill. Now, it seems both man and wife were consumed by “blind ambition.”

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

In this Sept. 19, 2007 file photo, Elizabeth Edwards talks about her husband's campaign during an interview with the Associated Press in Columbia, SC. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File)

Elizabeth Edwards speaks to the audience at the National Constitution Center about health care in the upcoming presidential election, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Every woman in America has tried to put herself in Elizabeth’s shoes. All women feel for any other who has (a) lost a child; (b) cancer; (c) a philandering husband. Elizabeth has borne all three. - Kathleen Parker

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Edwards Seeks Trial Delay

Lawyers say former candidate has undisclosed medical condition

(NEWSER) - John Edwards is suffering from an undisclosed medical condition and will be too sick to stand trial next month, his lawyers say. The former presidential candidate's attorneys filed a motion seeking to have the trial, which was due to begin Jan. 30, pushed back another 60 days, ABC reports. Edwards is accused of using $1 million in undisclosed campaign donations to cover up an extramarital affair during his 2008 presidential bid. More»

Ignore Candidates' Spouses

You have no way of knowing what their marriage is like: Frank Bruni

(NEWSER) - Ann Romney has been out on the campaign trail recently, attempting to deflate any flip-flopper accusations directed her husband's way. "You want constancy? They’ve been married since the Mesozoic era," quips Frank Bruni of the New York Times . But he’s not impressed. The candidate’s spouse, he writes is a "tired political fiction," a ritual repeated every campaign. Handlers predictably trot out the spouse (aka "human Downy") to serve as a delightful foil, to round out a candidate, to alter the news coverage. More»

Cate Edwards Gets Married

John Edwards' daughter marries college sweetheart Trevor Upham

(NEWSER) - If anybody has reason to steer clear of the institution of marriage it's probably Cate Edwards, but John Edwards and his oldest daughter marched down the aisle yesterday nonetheless. With a candle at the altar lit in memory of mom Elizabeth, Cate Edwards married her college sweetheart Trevor Upham in Chapel Hill. "We want this to be really happy and joyous and that's what my mother would want," Edwards told People ahead of the ceremony. More»

Edwards Moves to Dismiss Case

Lawyers argue case is 'about politics,' not the law

(NEWSER) - The case against John Edwards is political, not criminal, and should be dismissed, lawyers for the onetime presidential candidate said yesterday in a hefty court filing. “While much can be said in questioning how Mr. Edwards conducted himself throughout this saga, the allegations… that he violated campaign finance laws should not be among them,” the lawyers write. “The distinction between a wrong and a crime is at the heart of this case.” More»

Bunny Mellon Speaks of 'Great Friend' John Edwards

Reclusive donor is at heart of campaign finance indictment

(NEWSER) - Why did millionaire philanthropist Rachel "Bunny" Mellon give John Edwards $725,000 : to save his presidential campaign or to hide his extramarital affair from his wife? That question, at the heart of Edwards' indictment on charges of campaign finance violations, has thrust the reclusive Mellon into the spotlight. But her motivations may have been quite simple: "It's a crush," her upset grandson, who testified before the Edwards grand jury, tells Meryl Gordon in an in-depth Newsweek profile of the heiress. Mellon herself, who hadn't given an extended interview in more than 25 years, tells Gordon she and Edwards were "great friends," and that she was "so surprised when this thing came up." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website