One has to wonder whether it's appropriate for a sitting U.S. Senator to gossip about these topics on a live radio show. While appearing on local radio in Maine, Republican Senator Susan Collins said she believes John Edwards is the father of Rielle Hunter's baby:
The discussion of the Edwards scandal begins at the two-minute mark, with Collins saying at around 3:30, "But also, don't you think he is the father of the child?"
(Via Collins Watch.)
Report: Penn Wanted To Deride Obama's Americanness
In a revelation that will lower his stock in Democratic politics even further than it already has been, a newly-released set of internal memos shows that Mark Penn aggressively pitched a xenophobic strategy for the Hillary campaign to use against Barack Obama and his "lack of American roots." Penn wrote: "I cannot imagine America electing a president during a time of war who is not at his center fundamentally American in his thinking and in his values."
Both Candidates Off The Trail Today
Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain have any public events scheduled for today. Obama is of course on his Hawaiian vacation this week, and McCain does not have any announced events, either.
Edwards' Ex-Mistress: No Paternity Test
John Edwards' former mistress Rielle Hunter has issued a statement ruling out any paternity test for her daughter. Edwards said he was willing to take a test in order to prove he is not the father, but Hunter's refusal means no such test will actually occur.
Georgian President Speaks With Both Candidates
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili spoke Saturday with both Barack Obama and John McCain about the invasion of his country by Russia. Both candidates assured Saakashvili that they want full recognition of Georgia's sovereignty, and have condemned Russia's actions in this conflict.
McCain Declining To Endorse Energy Compromise
John McCain is so far refusing to take a position on the "Gang of 10" energy compromise, which Barack Obama has already signaled he could support, which would allow a combination of offshore drilling and increased investment in alternative energy. The Hill notes that if McCain comes out against it then he'll be standing in the way of a bipartisan energy plan, but if he endorses it he'll cede a clear distinction he has with Obama.
Report: Lieberman Being Vetted For McCain's VP
The Financial Times reports that Joe Lieberman is being vetted to be John McCain's running mate. While it would certainly be interesting to have a party-switching running mate who ran on the other party's ticket just eight years earlier, this still seems unlikely -- Lieberman's socially liberal positions on issues like abortion and immigration would likely alienate many conservative activists.
Obama Web Vid: McCain's New Ad "Is A Lie"
The Obama campaign has released this Web video, in which economic adviser Brian Deese debunks the claims in John McCain's latest ad charging that Barack obama would raise taxes on the middle class. "In summary, this ad is a lie," Deese says:
New Obama Ad In Nevada Attacks McCain On Yucca Mountain
The Obama campaign has a new negative spot airing in the perennial swing state of Nevada, hammering John McCain on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The ad warns Nevadans that John McCain is in favor of opening the repository in their state -- even though he'd be against nuclear waste being brought through his own home state:
Obama Arrives In Hawaii
Barack Obama and his family have arrived in Hawaii for their week-long vacation. Although the trip will be mostly rest and relaxation for the candidate, he did greet supporters at a rally to welcome his arrival: "I'm going to go bodysurfing at an undisclosed location."
McCain In Nevada Today
John McCain will be in Nevada today -- the same state where the Obama people are on the air attacking him -- giving an address to the Disabled American Veterans convention in Las Vegas. The speech is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m.
Obama: McCain's Pro-Bush Agenda Goes Against "Country First" Slogan
Barack Obama recorded this week's Democratic rebuttal to the president's weekly radio address -- the first time he has done so as the presumptive nominee for president. Obama used the speech to go after John McCain: "Senator McCain talks about putting our country first, but he is running for a third term of the very same policies that have set our country back. We can't afford to take that chance."
McCain: Obama Is Like "A Big Summer Blockbuster"
John McCain upped the rhetoric in his campaign's efforts to paint Barack obama as a vapid celebrity, using this line in his weekly radio address: "Taking in my opponent's performances is a little like watching a big summer blockbuster, and an hour in realizing that all the best scenes were in the trailer you saw last fall."
Poll: Dem Ahead For Missouri Governor's Race
A new Rasmussen poll of the Missouri gubernatorial race shows Democratic nominee Jay Nixon, the long-serving state attorney general, significantly ahead of Congressman Kenny Hulshof, the Republican nominee. The numbers: Nixon 53%, Hulshof 42%.
Edwards: Photo Of Man With Baby Might Be Me
During his interview yesterday with ABC News, John Edwards did not rule out the possibility that he is the man in the National Enquirer's blurry photograph of a man holding a baby -- alleged by the tabloid to be his own baby with Rielle Hunter. But Edwards said the photo doesn't necessarily mean anything: "Do you know how many pictures have been taken of me holding children in the last three years? I mean it happens all the time."
Elizabeth Edwards posted this statement tonight at Daily Kos:
Our family has been through a lot. Some caused by nature, some caused by human weakness, and some - most recently - caused by the desire for sensationalism and profit without any regard for the human consequences. None of these has been easy. But we have stood with one another through them all. Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him.
John made a terrible mistake in 2006. The fact that it is a mistake that many others have made before him did not make it any easier for me to hear when he told me what he had done. But he did tell me. And we began a long and painful process in 2006, a process oddly made somewhat easier with my diagnosis in March of 2007. This was our private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well. Because of a recent string of hurtful and absurd lies in a tabloid publication, because of a picture falsely suggesting that John was spending time with a child it wrongly alleged he had fathered outside our marriage, our private matter could no longer be wholly private.
The pain of the long journey since 2006 was about to be renewed.
John has spoken in a long on-camera interview I hope you watch. Admitting one's mistakes is a hard thing for anyone to do, and I am proud of the courage John showed by his honesty in the face of shame. The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown. But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue. I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John's conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time.
Here's a self-flagellating statement from John Edwards himself on his affair:
In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99% honest is no longer enough.I was and am ashamed of my conduct and choices, and I had hoped that it would never become public. 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. I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby.
It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up -- feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.
I have given a complete interview on this matter and having done so, will have nothing more to say.
ABC News has the story from John Edwards himself:
John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 42-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her.
Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter's baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test.
Edwards said he knew he was not the father based on timing of the baby's birth on February 27, 2008. He said his affair ended too soon for him to have been the father.
Edwards claimed in the interview that the affair began before his wife Elizabeth Edwards' cancer relapse...
Edwards made a point of telling Woodruff that his wife's cancer was in remission when he began the affair with Hunter.
But the affair may have continued well after her relapse had become publicly known:
Edwards today admitted the National Enquirer was correct when it reported he had visited Hunter at the Beverly Hills Hilton last month.
This obviously kills any hopes he had of speaking at the convention, if such hopes still even existed any longer in recent days.
Late Update: The Politico reports:
ABC News's Brian Ross tells us that Edwards says in the interview that he's still considering attending the Democratic National Convention.
Not in a speaking role, obviously.
Late Late Update: Here's a new statement from Edwards himself.
Still Later Update: Edwards' statement says the affair ended in 2006, so while he did admit in the interview to visiting her last month, he must be saying that that wasn't a continuation of it.
One key Democratic name has already taken himself out of the race to be Barack Obama's running mate: Former rival John Edwards. "I already had the privilege of running for vice president in 2004, and I won't do it again," Edwards said, according to Spanish-language newspaper El Mundo.
Regarding a certain other person who has been mentioned as a possibility, Edwards made sure to stay neutral. "Hillary Clinton is a great force in the Democratic Party and in the United States, whether she aspires to the vice-presidency or to another position," he said. "She is an extraordinary woman, and the role she will play depends only on her and Sen. Obama."
Before dropping out of the presidential race, John Edwards secured a private commitment from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that they'd undertake a poverty tour during the general election as the Democratic nominee, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
The vows to undertake a poverty tour -- which were confirmed to me by three former top advisers to Edwards -- went considerably farther than what has been publicly known until now about what the two Dems promised Edwards they'd do on poverty. During his drop-out speech last January, Edwards only said that the two Dems had "both pledged" to "make ending poverty central to their campaign."
An actual poverty tour, by contrast, would be a specific, protracted undertaking, possibly with Edwards himself, a possibility that came up in the private talks. Such a tour could be a major media event.
Now that Obama is on his way to becoming the nominee, the private promise is particularly relevant, because it raises the question of whether Obama will honor the commitment Edwards advisers say he (and Hillary) made.
This could require Obama to make a commitment of several days during a hard-fought general election, because Edwards specifically secured a commitment that it be a few days long, one top adviser said.
"Edwards was trying to think of ways to specifically hold them accountable," said another former top Edwards adviser. "It's easy for a Democrat to say, `Sure, I'll make poverty central to my campaign.' A poverty tour was something he felt would be really powerful with the spotlight of the general election, and it was a tangible, real thing he could ask them to commit to."
Matthew Nelson, a spokesperson for Edwards, declined to comment on the talks about the poverty tour, saying that Edwards "does not publicly discuss private conversations."
In a sign that they are likely to declare victory in the presidential primary very soon, the Obama campaign is now boasting in a memo to reporters that they are on the cusp of winning the pledged-delegate majority, thanks to the endorsement from John Edwards and a group of his delegates.
By the Obama campaign's math, they are only 17 elected delegates away from the pledged-del majority, a number that they are guaranteed to pull off next week in Oregon and Kentucky. Expect them to court super-delegates to break their way en masse after that happens, on the basis that Obama has the popular mandate to be the nominee.
Here's another effect of the John Edwards endorsement that has passed unnoticed.
If Obama gets the support of the vast majority of Edwards' delegates, which is likely, that will mean that Obama could potentially secure a majority of pledged delegates on May 20 -- even if Florida and Michigan are fully seated.
Assuming that Obama is awarded all of the uncommitted slots from Michigan and also wins the support of all the Edwards delegates from Florida, that gives Hillary a total gain of 178 delegates from these two states to 135 for Obama, plus all 18 remaining Edwards delegates from other states switching to Obama.
As such, Obama would have 1,752 total pledged dels to Clinton's 1,625 for Clinton, and only need 32 more delegates to get the new pledged-del majority number of 1,784. A strong win in Oregon and a decent showing in Kentucky would be all that's necessary to pull that off.
In a first indication of that John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama has carried some weight, an Edwards pledged delegate from New Hampshire has now announced his support for Obama, as well.
Edwards' pledged delegates are not required by the rules to follow his support for Obama, though as former activists for their candidate they would no doubt be influenced by his recommendation. Edwards has another 18 delegates up for grabs -- and if they mostly end up going for Obama, it would be enough to wipe out Hillary Clinton's gains from West Virginia.
Mark Halperin suggests that an Edwards endorsement of Obama may be imminent, and reports that he posed the following question to six senior Obama officials -- with no answer:
"Is John Edwards endorsing Barack Obama today?"
Following up on Halperin, my experience has been the same. The Obama campaign won't say whether Edwards is endorsing him today. They're saying nothing. Radio silence from an Edwards spokesperson, too.
Obama's one remaining public event today is at 6:30 P.M. in Grand Rapids. Stay tuned.
Barack Obama is continuing to pick up support from former Edwards backers, an indication of both his overall momentum and a strategy to dispel the idea that he can't appeal to the white working class.
The latest endorsement is coming from former House Dem Whip David Bonior, who served as Edwards' campaign manager and was a longtime antagonist of the Clintons on trade issues. Bonior has a lot of pull with unions, so don't be surprised if a few more of them come out for Obama in the remaining contests and in lobbying uncommitted super-delegates.
John and Elizabeth Edwards have finally made their endorsement plans -- or lack of them -- official.
On the eve of potentially decisive voting in Indiana and North Carolina, with political tensions at white-hot levels, John and Elizabeth revealed all in an interview with People magazine, of all outlets.
The news in the interview is that they confirmed they will not endorse either candidate in the presidential race, because they are "saving their political capital for their own causes -- his, fighting poverty; hers, fighting for universal health care," reports, um, People mag.
John also shared his thoughts on the pros and cons of Hillary and Obama...
On Clinton: "I like something different about Hillary. I think her tenacity shows a real strength that's inside her."What doesn't he like about Clinton? "Um, still a lot of the old politics," John Edwards said.
As for Obama, he says: "Sometimes I want to see more substance under the rhetoric."
But he cited two things he likes about the charismatic young senator from Illinois: "One is, I think he really does want to bring about serious change and a different way of doing things. And secondly, I think it's a great symbolic thing to have an African-American who could be president."
At that, Mrs. Edwards rolled her eyes and, gripping the arms of her kitchen chair with some exaggeration, seemed about to lunge from her seat. "What about the great symbolic thing about a woman ..."
"It's important. It's important," her husband said. "I know it."
Anyone else miss their presence on the political stage right about now?
Late Update: I should qualify that question. There's no doubt that Edwards' presence in the presidential race was salutary in many ways. Whatever his flaws, and whatever you think of his sincerity and/or motives, he forced a focus on certain issues that has basically vanished with his departure.
The presence of the Edwardses had a healthy effect on our political discourse, too. There is little doubt that the decisions by Obama and Hillary to appear on Fox would have been far less easy politically if Edwards, who led the way in taking on the wingnut media, had been in the race to call them out for it. And Elizabeth's constant scolding of the political media for its obsession with trivia and addiction to pre-fabricated narratives amplified the liberal media critique in various useful ways -- even if it was partly motivated by a desire to get her husband more attention.
You needn't have been an Edwards supporter to recognize that these contributions were valuable.
While John Edwards has stayed on the sidelines since he dropped out of the presidential race, Barack Obama has succeeded in getting far more of Edwards' organizational support than Hillary Clinton -- all of which could help him in the upcoming North Carolina primary.
FEC records show that Obama has raised almost $1 million from previous Edwards donors, compared to only $427,000 for Clinton. Another key statistic: Nine of Edwards' former Congressional backers have now endorsed Obama -- compared to zero for Clinton.
Stephen Colbert had three very special guests tonight: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Clinton and Edwards were in the studio, and Obama appeared via satellite.
The show broadcasts tonight at 11:30 p.m. ET, so here's a thread for you to share your views on the how the two candidates and one ex-candidate came off.
Elizabeth has stepped back a bit from yesterday's statement that she has more confidence in Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama on the issue of health care, saying instead that she and John Edwards could be best effective at this point as "honest brokers" on issues they care about, rather than endorsing any candidate.
She also denied that a reported conversation with Barack Obama turned them off from his candidacy, but did acknowledge some differences: "And where there are differences, we talked about those differences and why I believed John's was right."
Elizabeth Edwards praised Hillary Clinton's health plan this morning on ABC News, saying bluntly: "I just have more confidence in Senator Clinton's policy than Senator Obama's on this particular issue."
This statement from Elizabeth Edwards — done on the record, as opposed to background sources putting out the message — could be yet a further sign that the lack of a health mandate in Obama's plan is what is leading John Edwards to not endorse anybody.
Late Update: Here's the video:
This should get the Edwards endorsement tea-leaf readers going.
I just got off the phone with former John Edwards adviser Joe Trippi, and he says that Edwards would commend and support Hillary's idea for a cabinet-level poverty czar, which she proposed during a speech today.
"That would absolutely be something Edwards would welcome," Trippi says. "As someone close to him, a cabinet level position on poverty is something he would support 100 percent."
"Edwards pushed both [Obama and Hillary] to focus on poverty," Trippi adds. "She's done something to be commended for."
John Edwards just finished up taping his appearance on Jay Leno tonight -- it hasn't aired yet. The fact that he was appearing on the show prompted many to wonder whether he would use the appearance to endorse Hillary or Obama.
The answer: Nope. He didn't endorse either, according to Leno's publicist, Tracy St. Pierre, who emails me this:
No news...it was a catching up interview, but he didn't throw his support either way.
So no Edwards endorsement for now.
The Iowa caucuses might have been over two months ago, but Barack Obama is still making gains off of them. In today's Iowa county Democratic conventions — which those caucus delegates were elected to participate in — Obama picked up the votes of roughly half of John Edwards' former supporters, netting him seven delegates.
Going into the June state Democratic convention, where the federal delegates will finally be selected, Obama is projected to have 23 delegates to Hillary Clinton's 14, with eight remaining delegates either still nominally for Edwards or uncommitted.
To put this in perspective, Hillary's total gains in the Ohio primary amounted to a net advantage of nine delegates.
Late Update: NBC News is now putting Obama's projected net delegate gain at five, not seven. The current numbers: Obama 23, Clinton 16, Edwards/Uncommitted 6. Still, it's hardly a bad day for Obama.
Late Late Update: The newest NBC projections give Obama 25 delegates, Clinton 14, and Edwards/Uncommitted 6. That's a gain of nine delegates for Obama since the January 3 precinct caucuses, and a loss of one for Clinton.
Here's some more detail, courtesy of the Associated Press, on the thinking of John and Elizabeth Edwards about whom -- or whether -- to endorse in the Dem primary:
The couple has been impressed with Clinton, who has more effectively courted them since the 2004 vice presidential nominee dropped out, people who talk to the Edwardses say. Obama has been less attentive, they say, and some of those close to the Edwardses have been annoyed that Obama has continued to ridicule him for once saying his biggest weakness is that he has a powerful response to seeing pain in others.
Mark Halperin says his sources tell him the same.
As I've noted here before, multiple sources close to Edwards have told me (and many others) that he feels closer to Obama on the issues (except for health care) and thinks he represents the possibility of a more fundamental break with the status quo, but has concerns about his toughness and readiness to be president.
Barack Obama met with John Edwards today at his North Carolina home, just as Hillary Clinton did a week and a half ago. Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton told CNN that Obama met with Edwards "to discuss the state of the campaign and the pressing issues facing American families."
Edwards might be out of the race, but he certainly isn't being ignored by the remaining candidates. Both Hillary and Obama are probably hoping that an Edwards endorsement could help attract some of the working-class and left-wing voters who had been drawn to his candidacy.
