It was hard watching a physically and emotionally unhealed Elizabeth Edwards stuttering her way through the difficult questions about John Edwards' affair and possible love child as a result thereof. At once I was angry at Mrs. Edwards' denial, saddened at her battle (with John and cancer), and perplexed at why she agreed to share it all on Oprah. For book sales? Or to get a message to Rielle Hunter that she's irrelevant? Not hardly. Rielle's just demanded that John take a DNA test and chances are pretty high that the baby he was holding outside that hotel room is his.
I cringed when Mrs. Edward's explained the baby holding pic by saying that politicians are known for holding babies. At secret meeting spots with their baby mamas?
Liz was very frank in the interview, with the only stipulation being not to mention John's mistress by name. When Oprah inquired why, Elizabeth responded:
"You know, somebody wants to stand in the light, you know, that shines on John, that's one thing," she said. "If they somehow, you know, work at destroying my family and my home in order to get into that light, I'm really not interested in them being in the light too much. It's not about this woman. It's about this family."When asked about her kids' response to the affair she said, "maybe the cancer's a bigger thing in their lives than this woman's passing through." I'm sure this is true for the children, and I can't help but wonder why the cancer doesn't totally trump the affair for Elizabeth as well.
She brought up a good point, however, when she said that women need to stick together. Although Elizabeth unfairly put very little blame at her guilty husband's feet, she's right. If women banned together and stopped dating involved men, men would be forced to be faithful; they'd probably want to be faithful to their own strong, morally upright, woman.
To put it a little more bluntly: Don't worry about what the men are doing; just worry about what YOU are doing. If everyone does what they're supposed to do, everything will balance out and get back on track.
Video of Rielle:
great post. didn't catch it, but I got a sense of how it went down through you...you are a great writer.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the subject of adultery. That was a good point, but realistically people only like to read and hear about people and their terrible, well I'll say it - sins. Why is she not putting her cheating cancer having husband up for punishment. It sounds like she's takin his bullets. Hell naw, they cheat and want to stay, they need punishment from their wives.
ReplyDeleteExcellent take Smokie and I completely agree. It was so hard to watch this interview and you really did get the sense that she has not healed. I also got the sense that she had her whole identity tied up with her husband and so she just can't (especially now) break from him. I thought it was so arrogant (and telling) of John Edwards when asked if he thought she was stay for him to respond "I didn't know". You didn't know? Why didn't he just *expect* the relationship to be over? After all that public humiliation?
ReplyDeleteI'm also curious as to why the cancer takes a back seat to this affair. Almost makes me think the cancer isn't real. It's strange somehow.
OMG!! Smokie!! I felt so bad for that lady. Denial and all. It was heartbreaking! Really, like your husband's outside child won't affect your life! Gimme a break!
ReplyDelete"...and I can't help but wonder why the cancer doesn't totally trump the affair for Elizabeth as well."
ReplyDeleteMaybe that was her break from the cancer. I can only imagine how much her thoughts were consumed from the cancer. Not to sound morbid or disrespectful, but it coulda been a distraction.