John Edwards Beats the Rap But Bears the Scars of His Decisions

Photo:  AP

He could have been President of the United States. He was almost Vice President. But John Edwards did himself in, quite thoroughly. With the mistrial, he will not be welcomed back into Democratic Party politics. He will spend his days chasing ambulances in North Carolina.

This afternoon Edwards was found not guilty on one count of illegal campaign contributions. This was after a nine day deliberation which left his North Carolina jury in a deadlock on the other five counts. The judge declared a mistrial and dismissed the jury. It’s unlikely the Department of Justice will re-try the case. It’s over. John Edwards has won.

What are his crimes? Lying and being a sneak. Living one life in public and another in public. As his wife battled cancer, and became a national celebrity, Edwards hooked up with — you fill in the blank– and fathered her child. He lied repeatedly to his wife. In her book, “Resilience,” Elizabeth Edwards said when she was first told about Rielle Hunter, she threw up.

Edwards promised her it was a one time thing. But it wasn’t. It was a full fledged affair. He would sneak into the Beverly Hilton Hotel from the basement elevator to see mother and daughter. When he was caught, he lied.

But now Elizabeth is dead. John Edwards has skated on the whole thing. It was too complex for a North Carolina jury. They couldn’t handle the truth. And the truth was, Rielle Hunter hated Elizabeth and wanted to get rid of her. So she has. I do hope that her own family, Elizabeth’s, will stand up and say something.

Full article:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedman/2012/05/31/john-edwards-beats-the-rap-but-bears-the-scars-of-his-decisions/