Affairs of State

(Newser) - We’ve seen this buddy movie before: to succeed, former fierce competitors Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will need to put away their rivalry to become not just partners, but friends, write Michael Abramowitz and Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post . Secretary of State Clinton has to be able convince foreign leaders that she’s the trusted delegate of the person who introduced her yesterday as a "dear friend," the future president. More »

(Newser) - Ashley Dupre presented herself in a primetime interview last night as a normal girl who made some misguided decisions. The woman whose tryst with Eliot Spitzer wrecked his career told ABC's Diane Sawyer she drifted into the escort business as a "naive" and "careless" 19-year-old, just 2 years after ditching high school and moving out on her own. She chalks up part of her trouble to growing up without a dad. "I felt like I missed something," she said. "To have a certain level of respect for yourself." More »

(AP) - John Edwards didn't have to dodge tough questions from an Indiana University audience tonight as he returned to the public stage three months after admitting to an affair. He addressed politics, poverty, and his hopes for America, but a subsequent question-and-answer session—featuring questions vetted in advance—did not raise the subject of his dalliance with Rielle Hunter. More »

(Newser) - John Edwards' former mistress is writing a tell-all book because she fears her "hush money" will dry up, reports the New York Daily News in a rundown of the National Enquirer's latest scoop on the fallen-from-grace Dem. An enterprising Enquirer reporter is said to have stolen one of her tot's dirty diapers as a source of DNA evidence to prove the paternity Edwards is still denying, says the News. More »

(Newser) - Three days after Elizabeth Edwards made a health-care reform speech in DC without her wedding ring on, a source tells the New York Post that her cheating hubby, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, is no longer living with his cancer-stricken wife and that the couple has separated. Elizabeth's reps didn't return requests for comment. More »

(Newser) - If Detroit's ousted mayor hoped to catch a break in court today, he was very much disappointed, the Detroit News reports. After upbraiding Kwame Kilpatrick as "arrogant" and "defiant," the judge told the disgraced politician he'd have to serve his full 4-month sentence for obstructing justice with no hope of early release. Kilpatrick got in hot water for trying to cover up an extramarital affair and for pushing around deputies who served a subpoena. More »

(Newser) - The IMF’s governing board unanimously cleared its managing director of using his position to pursue an affair with a subordinate, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dominique Strauss-Kahn didn’t engage in “harassment, favoritism, or any other abuse of authority,” but his actions were “regrettable and reflected a serious error of judgment,” the board said, citing the incident as a major distraction for the fund. More »