Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer

We just found something interesting on the 2008 John Edwards for President web site. The campaign posted a clip of Senator Edwards on June 7, 2007 accepting the “National Father of the Year” award in New York from Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council, Inc..

That’s almost nine months before Rielle Hunter had a baby.  Edwards admits to ABC News that he had an affair with Hunter in 2006. But he denies being the father of the baby.

In a statement released this evening Edwards says, “With my family, I took responsibility for my actions in 2006 and today I take full responsibility publicly. But that misconduct took place for a short period in 2006. It ended then. I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby, and I am truly hopeful that a test will be done so this fact can be definitively established. I only know that the apparent father has said publicly that he is the father of the baby.”

That’s Edwards today.

Now, I want to take you to that June night last year when Edwards accepted his award for “Father of the Year”.

Here’s the clip: Keep reading

Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer

Former U.S. senator and Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards has admitted to an extramarital affair in an interview with ABC News, the network reported Friday.

Speaking to ABC, Edwards acknowledged an affair with 42-year-old Rielle Hunter, but he said he did not love her. According to the network, Edwards made a point of saying that his wife's cancer was in remission when he began the affair with Hunter. Since then Elizabeth Edwards has been diagnosed with incurable cancer.

The affair began in 2006 after Hunter was hired to make documentary videos for his campaign, ABC said.

Edwards has denied being the father of Hunter's child as had been alleged in the National Enquirer.

A former campaign aide, Andrew Young, has said he's the father of the child who was born on February 27, 2008.

Just moments ago, Senator Edwards released this statement: Keep reading

CNN Political Unit

Editor’s note: We’ll have complete live coverage of the developing Edwards story tonight at 10p ET

Former U.S. senator and Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards admitted to an extramarital affair in an interview with ABC News, the network reported Friday. He denied being the father of the woman's child, as had been alleged in tabloid reports.

Asked by a reporter late last month whether he had provided any financial support to Rielle Hunter, or to Andrew Young — the former Edwards aide who claimed paternity of the child — Edwards replied that "I have no idea what you are asking about, I have responded to consistently to these tabloid allegations by saying I don't respond to these lies." He also said again that he had not lied during his presidential campaign when he denied an affair with Hunter.

Election Center: The John Edwards File

Speaking to the network for a story to be aired Friday night, Edwards acknowledged the affair with 42-year-old Rielle Hunter, which began after she was hired to make documentary videos for his campaign, ABC said.

He said he has not taken a paternity test, but that the timing of the affair rules out the possibility that he could be her baby girl's father.

Read more...

John Edwards after a speech in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans in January 2008

John Edwards
Former U.S. Senator

If we want to end the great moral shame of America — the 37 million Americans who are denied economic justice in our country — then we need to ask the most basic question: why? Not why are "they" struggling every day, but why do we accept things as they are?

Why do we accept that the waitress who just brought us lunch needs the church's food pantry to feed her daughter for the rest of the month? She's working and that should be enough.

Why do we accept that the man who just bagged our groceries is 72 years old and lost everything when his wife got sick? He's worked all of his life and retirement shouldn't mean more work.

Why do we accept that the men and women who wore our uniform are committing suicide in their trucks because they can't afford to see a doctor? They served us and they shouldn't even have to ask.
Keep reading

David M. Reisner
360° Digital Producer

Hey Bloggers,

Breaking News: John Edwards is to endorse Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President...The Obama campaign tells us the announcement will occur tonight in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We'll have the story at 10p ET. Please join us.

After the Iowa caucuses earlier this month,  The Wall Street Journal did a poll asking about Clinton, Edwards and Obama.  Then they did something interesting: they took Edwards out of the equation, just as Edwards has now done himself.

Former Sen. John Edwards ended his presidential bid on Wednesday.

What happened?  Clinton and Obama both picked up five or six points.  Will we have a split decision now, too?  Maybe.  But a lot has happened since that poll.

Pro-Obama types say Edwards voters are "change" voters.  Ergo, Obama voters.  But you might get a different answer if you look at Edwards' base of support.

They tend to be less educated (less than the average Obama voter, anyway),  rural,  working class,  union.  That sounds like Clinton voters. 

Now, Edwards had said he was in the race until the convention.  So what happened?

Elizabeth Edwards was instrumental in his decision to get into the race, and to stay in the race after she was diagnosed with cancer.  And she was instrumental in this decision, too.  Why did he drop out now?

After the South Carolina primary, where he underperformed,  Edwards went home to North Carolina on Sunday night. Monday, they had a big strategy (conference call) meeting in camp Edwards.  They talked about how they could pick up 200 delegates on Super Tuesday, where they would go to do that.

All the strategists and top aides came away from that thinking,  OK,  full throttle. But on Tuesday, "something happened."  His advisers tell me it was "organic."  Edwards went with his "gut."

He talked to Obama and Clinton and said he was thinking about dropping out and would they pledge to make anti-poverty a part of their campaign agenda?  Yes. And it was over. No big meetings, no grand strategy session, aides say. Just Edwards, who called his top people and told them, "Here's what I'm doing."

Edwards made the decision..

The loneliest time of any campaign.

–Candy Crowley, CNN Senior Political Correspondent