It’s obvious that Edwards had faced a sexual drought, and was not a play-around.

Yes, it was totally suspicious when she decided to stay on the campaign trail with him in spite of being on her deathbed [so the press would have you believe] when any other "dying"  mother of small children would have wanted to spend her "last days" with the kids. It was all so fishy then and frankly all the Glade air freshener hasn’t really done much for the odor.

I took a look at the Edwards photo (on the Liz Smith site?) and would think that John Edwards is your standard pretty charmer who has long been accustomed to getting his way and that she, Elizabeth, has long smiled her way past her husband’s indiscretions.  I suggest a history of indiscretions because no one, save the purely innocent … excluding all politicians … would choose what Ms.Bergen has so wonderfully ascribed as an ‘ambitious cooze.’  This time ‘round, again, going for the history angle, John Edwards trolled too deep and came up with … well … and given his catch of the day, bad timing (the wife with cancer and honest to god…), and that wife’s anger signalled in the tell-all … well, again … the public is treated to the spectacle of the forgiven adulterer and his very sick and forgiving wife.  I’m typing this while looking at pictures of Carrie Prejean, Miss California, who is the female version of charming and pretty and everything-coming-my-way, that is, those people to whom the world does not say ‘no’ … and imagine her surprise when consternation was expressed re. past nude pictures … ‘what?  there’s a problem?’ … But, I digress.  Of course Elizabeth Edwards is staying by her man … she knew what she was signing up to when she married him … but, kids, this time ‘round, all that smiling and putting up comes with a tell-all …

I agree it takes two when we’re talking infidelity but we’ve always known that men can be swayed by so little effort, that doesn’t excuse the act but again I defer to their small (other) brain. I’m more disgusted by the other women. The true sisterhood has a code of ethics that we learned early in our lives. When a man is spoken for he’s off limits to other women. There are women out there that shouldn’t be trusted and I feel sorry for them.  I agree totally with Candice, Ellen

I think it’s incredible and unconscionable that he had this affair.  What was he thinking??  What if, just what if, he’d won the Democratic primaries, and then THIS came out?  Can you imagine what Rush and Hannity and Coulter would have done with that juicy tidbit?

BTW, "Ambitious Cooze" would be a good name for an all-girl rock band.

As usual, you put it succinctly…  As a 66yr old who worked all her life on Civil Rights and other social issues, and who worked hours daily on the Kerry-Edwards campaign, I felt an enormous letdown…  

 I have admired Elizabeth for a long time.. we, here in NC, saw how this couple worked tirelessly on issues that meant a lot to their late son’s memory.

Well, I bit again and Googled ‘cooze’ which turned out to be a perfect word but really, can’t we get away from all this National Enquirer stuff?

Okay yes I loved the "cooze" comment. cracks me up. but come on people. the guy didn’t get "sucked" in or suckered or victimized. My best friend and I used to talk about how easy it was to tell which married men were willing to play the game. In my twenties and thirties when i was a "hottie". you know..THAT age… I could be in the presence of a married man for ten minutes and know if he was willing to screw around. NOT that i did! i’ve never had an affair in my life. Like my best friend says… I’m not "subtle enough". but cooze or not. The guy had to be willing. and most likely he put out the willing vibe early on. that’s what kept the cooze coming back you know…

John Edwards always seemed to grandstand his marriage through out all his bids for elected office.  It seemed awkward to me personally.  I just never liked him.  I liked his political ideals only.  My gut feeling that Edwards has done this before and Elisabeth was just was not aware.  I feel sad for her.

What educated, intelligent and honest woman finds out her husband has
had (and probably, which photos showed he was) still cheating?
But then agrees to join him in a political campaign for the office of
President?
She stood on podiums, before TV cameras, on TV and radio shows
speaking in interviews and spouted how Wonderful he is as a husband
and father, how honest and caring he is as a human being, how he’d
make the Best man for the job of running our country and standing as
a leader in the free world.  DUH?
In my opinion she is just as dishonest, unreliable, unbelievable and
two-faced as he is.  This book and both of their actions are an
insult and offensive to the gullible public which trusted them, gave
them their votes and donated money to help them on that quest in
politics and the ultimate goal… the White House.
I no longer feel sorry for her, except for her health issue.  She
chose to stand by him and lie for him.  I wouldn’t pay one penny for
this book, nor watch her as she sits on all the talk shows like
Oprah, etc… to shill it.
When he told her he wanted to run and for her to be involved in the
sham act of the happy, honest, loyal and loving couple/family man….

Why didn’t she refuse?  What ever happened to saying… *Hell, no
John.  That’s dishonest and I won’t do it.  Count me out.* 
That would have put the brakes on the whole thing and perhaps kept
their family and dirty secret from becoming public knowledge.  Didn’t
they even think of trying to do that to protect their 3 children from
the potential fallout?
BOTH have dirty-hands in my book and should be ashamed to write
books, make speeches and go back to curry favor and monies for their
works.   

Candice is so right. It’s sad but there are women out there who are totally amoral and will poach a husband or boyfriend.  Rielle the hunter is a poacher.

What a fabulous woman Candice is.  She has beauty, intelligence, talent, and the courage to rightly call Rielle Hunter a cooze.  It was music to my ears to finally hear someone call it like it is.  The other names used to describe RH were just not quite enough — cooze is perfection.

Considering all this new agey spiritual crap Rielle Fortune Hunter is involved in, I suspect she is terrified of the bad karma she has developed.  So glad I’m not her!