Elizabeth Edwards: Two portraits of a wronged wife

Los Angeles Times ^ | James Rainey | James Rainey

[presidio9]

The coverage of Elizabeth Edwards' week-old book and her promotional tour leaves us with two competing portraits. Is she (a) the valiant victim finally having her say for those who don't have a voice? Or (b) the unlikely opportunist, exacting revenge against her wayward husband and dragging her family back into the muck?

Over two presidential campaigns and a public battle with cancer, John Edwards' wife mostly benefited from the media's predilection for a single narrative. Profiles of Elizabeth the brave proliferated, and none questioned the stability of her marriage or would conflict with the title of her current memoir, "Resilience."

But some in the commentariat have had enough. Maureen Dowd called Edwards out for dragging her husband "back into the public square for a flogging" over his affair with a one-time campaign videographer. Writer Rebecca Traister at Salon.com called the political wife's book tour "one of the most sadomasochistic publicity jaunts in political history."

After speaking to Edwards, former campaign aides and reporters who covered her over two presidential races, I can't provide a single neat answer. More than five years after first meeting her on the campaign trail, I can only say this latest self-revelation inspires both tremendous compassion and tremendous compassion fatigue.

No one doubts that Elizabeth Edwards has traveled a very tough road -- the loss of her teenage son to a car accident, a prolonged bout with incurable cancer and the unfaithfulness of her husband, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

Jim Morrill of the Charlotte Observer,

[jpl]

I don’t care if she does have cancer, Elizabeth Edwards is almost as despicable a person as her creep husband is. I don’t feel sorry for her at all.

[rockabyebaby]

Wronged wife? Ok, let’s have a pity party for her and hillary, oh boo hooo, my husband screwed around on me I am a victim, AND I’M STILL WITH HIM,,,,,,,,,,,yeah, I fell so sorry for you....................NOT

[Emmett McCarthy]

I don’t wish the lady any ill, but wasn’t the story out there back in ‘04 that she wasn’t going to last much longer? I’m genuinely glad for her and her family that she’s still with them. Don’t get me wrong there. But how much of what we were being told back during his failed campaign was true?

[americanophile]

[hinckley buzzard]

"I guess we were all snookered."

Duh. Yeah, I guess. Media shmucks.

[dr_who]

Both.

[loveliberty2]

With great compassion for her fight against cancer, let’s not forget that she was complicit in deceiving their Party and his supporters about the ticking bombshell he had created. Both were trained lawyers with ambitions, and both bore responsibility for not being forthcoming.

[floridavoter2]

I saw part of the Oprah interview. Elizabeth was saying that if John is the father of the other woman’s baby that it doesn’t affect her life at all, that it doesn’t matter. Elizabeth was totally delusional.

[presidio9]

The only part of the Oprah interview that sticks with me is where Elizabeth Edwards repeatedly refers to her human baby stepdaughter as “it.”

[SlapHappyPappy]

You know, the most accurate reporting on the Edwards scandal has been done by the National Enquirer. (This shouldn’t come as a surprise because they actually do more to verify information than the mainstream media.) And they are reporting that she has finally decided to leave Edwards.

Interesting that this decision came after it was clear his political career was over.

[Joe Boucher]

“his political career over”?
Come on SlapHappyPappy,
He’s a dem.
Any press is good press.

[exist]

Maureen Dowd deserves to get cheated on.

[opaque soul]

Hey Elizabeth, just dump the fraud. He has defrauded you and those closet to him and defrauded the public. Do yourself a big favor and show the world that sometimes peoples actions create for them negative consequences. By “standing by your man” you are telling him that his terrible life choices are OK and that you can absorb all the pain... you can’t, no one can, but he should!!

[SlapHappyPappy]

Not this time. He has the wrong enemies, both the Clinton faction and the Obama faction.

[bobby.223]

dittos to that.

[ikka]

Anyone familiar with "Southern manners" that saw the interview and can comment?

I got the impression there was a lot unsaid during the interview of the "bless her heart" variety.

My take was "I will stay with John but he is not going to be able to dance on my grave and then re-launch a political career if/when I die."

[Joe Boucher]

Guess he’ll just have to go back to suing baby doctors.

[PAR35]

But how much of what we were being told back during his failed campaign was true?

It seemed like her relapses always coincided with the need for some sympathy vote. For someone who only had months to live several years ago, she seems to be in pretty good shape. Of course, I was cynical enough at the time to wonder if she would have a miraculous recovery after the election.

[cubreporter]

For the love of God she should give it up! She chose to stay with this guy so she should stop running all over the place talking about it. Have some dignity. I can’t believe all this nonsense. Good Lord...