As you may (emphasis on the "may") have heard, the Enquirer claims to have nailed down proof that John Edwards…well, it's a bit arguable as to what they've proved. They claim it's that Edwards really did have an affair (previously and quite convincingly denied) with this woman named Rielle Hunter and fathered a "love child" with her. The Enquirer reportage suggests what they've proved is that he visited her in the wee small hours of the morning at the Beverly Hilton and ran like a craven jackrabbit when he found that there was an Enquirer correspondent shadowing him.
Jack Shafer asks if there's a double-standard at work in that the mainstream media has yet to report this. I don't think so. For one thing, there's a big difference between getting caught by an Enquirer reporter and being caught, as Larry Craig was, by an officer of the law. True, the Enquirer has been steadily raising its level of credibility as the so-called "real press" has been lowering its own…but they haven't quite crossed yet. Craig was arrested, which makes it more of a public issue and takes it out of the "none of anybody's business" category. Also, the Edwards story is new and there's a lot going on in the world.
I don't think there's a danger it won't get plenty of attention. Edwards's political opponents will see to that. If he's not Obama's running mate, we may now know the reason why.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this story is the question of why, if you were a nationally-known political figure and you wanted to meet with your mistress, you'd do it at the Beverly Hilton, of all places. Under normal circumstances, the place is swarming with famous folks — and therefore, reporters. But this week, all the TV critics in the land are in L.A. for a big press junket and every good hotel is filled with press folks. The Edwards encounter allegedly happened on Monday. That same day, I had a meeting at the Four Seasons and I saw half the cable news business lounging poolside. The Beverly Hilton is the hotel where you stay when you can't get into the Four Seasons.
I'm not saying it's proof of anything…but if you were a famous guy, especially a famous guy who's being mentioned as a running mate for Barack Obama, it would be braindead stupid to think you could get in and out of the Hilton without being spotted. In my book, that would disqualify the guy to be Vice-President, just as much as the moral hypocrisy and lying.