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ABC News:

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.

Update: John Amato: This is awful news. What would have happened if he had been the nominee? Go Obama! The media will never let up on this and if he doesn't come clean on everything as fast as he can, it will never be over. The tabloids will be digging into ditches trying to find as much dirt as possible. 

SusanG has a round up of opinions.

Atrios:

The public: Edwards was a f*&king idiot for running for president, and betrayed a lot of his supporters by doing so.

The private: everything else is between Edwards and his family. Not for the rest of us to figure out how this is supposed to affect their relationships and their marriage.

FDL:

But Edwards did play the family card quite heavily during his campaign, and if he'd gotten the nomination, the Democrats would be sunk right now and we'd be looking at four years of John McCain. So on that count, I'm profoundly grateful that he didn't get it. He was risking a lot for all of us by doing this stuff and running at the same time. It was incredibly stupid. What more can you say?

Maybe we'll get this kind of inquiry into the Vicki Iseman story?

Hullabaloo:

I realize that everybody gets excited about sex scandals. It's human nature. But it's important to keep in mind that John Edwards didn't even come close to winning the nomination and this is just another sleazy tabloid story with absolutely no serious significance other than the sickening spectacle of the prurient slavering of the mainstream media now that they have finally found their hook: it's because he lied to the press about his sex life. How could he???

(Lying to the press about the anthrax killers and WMD in Iraq, well, not a problem.)

Many people, especially in the press, jumped to defend McCain against the evil New York Times on that one and there has been no follow up. But considering how everyone is excusing the flogging of this Edwards story on the basis of the fact that he lied to the press, I'm not sure it's in the country's best interest not to ask McCain about this again and talk to the women herself. What if it comes out that it was true after he's president? Why surely the press will be as honor bound to obsess over it as they were about Clinton and now Edwards, right? It's not about the sex --- it's about the lying, remember?...read on

  NOW on PBS:

Even though he's no longer running for president, John Edwards is still a man with a mission: to cut poverty in the United States by 50 percent in 10 years. This week, NOW's David Brancaccio talks with Edwards about how he plans to achieve this ambitious goal and what role it may and should have on the upcoming presidential election.

"What's happening in America today is middle class workers, people who are like my parents and my family, the family that I grew up in, they are having a terrible time," Edwards tells NOW.

The current economic crisis has Edwards and his followers more committed than ever, but will their efforts gain enough momentum to make a difference?

The entire program is available in streaming video or audio at their website.  NOW also provides John McCain and Barack Obama's positions on poverty. 

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At a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, former Senator John Edwards will officially endorse Barack Obama. The 2008 Democratic Presidential primary has been a long, grueling and emotional process and both Obama and Clinton have big name endorsements in their corner -- but this one could be the biggest of all. John Edwards ran a solid, progressive, populist campaign and was a favorite of many in the blogosphere. What do you think, does Edwards' endorsement of Obama have any real significance? 

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Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards took over the Wørd segment from Stephen Colbert to discuss the all important demographic in this election: white, male voters.  And who better to talk about their values than Edwards? 

You know, Stephen, you’re right about white males playing an important part in this election. Their votes are being courted as a demographic tiebreaker between these two tough candidates and no white male’s vote is being courted more vigorously than this one. [points to self]

It is no secret that both campaigns have sought my support.  So far, I haven’t decided which of these excellent candidates I’m going to endorse.  On the one hand, I don’t want to be seen as anti-hope.  On the other hand, I don’t want James Carville to bite me. So who? Who am I going to vote for in the next to the last primary, North Carolina?  Well, I’ll support whoever presents a platform that’s consistent with my values. I’ll support the candidate who’ll raise the federal minimum wage.  Someone who’ll fight for the 37 million Americans who wake up in poverty every day.  Somebody who’ll protect the interest of working families.  Also, I’d like a jet-ski.

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The Edwards campaign has put the full speech up on YouTube.

I began my presidential campaign here to remind the country that we, as citizens and as a government, have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters. We must do better, if we want to live up to the great promise of this country that we all love so much.

It is appropriate that I come here today. It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history. We will be strong, we will be unified, and with our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November and we'll create hope and opportunity for this country.

Full transcript below the fold  

Continue reading »

We know that Dick Morris is a major league Dem basher with odious opinions and is the resident election expert for FOX (no surprise there), but he really...oh, just watch...

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Colmes: Could Edwards right now have an effect on the outcome of this race if he wanted?

Morris: He might, but at the moment his voters are those that can't decide which they don't like more---a black or a women getting elected. And..

Colmes: Wait, wait, you're saying his voters are bigots?

Morris: I'm saying a lot of his voters are there because they don't want a women and they don't want a black.

Colmes: So his voters are bigots is what you're saying.

Morris: No, I said what I just said.

Morris: And if Edwards withdrew God only knows where they'd go.

After being pressed on it some more by Alan Colmes---Morris finally said that he thinks Edwards is a good man and brought in some vague "exit poll" data to justify his original position. Hannity chirped in with the "anti-Hillary vote" defense to try and help dig him out as well. In Dick's opinion, the Edwards voter is just going to the ballot box because they hate the black and they hate the female...What's the word for that frame of mind?

John Edwards has done a good job of articulating his populist positions and had attracted a large number of voters, (not enough to stay in the race)  none of whom made their choice because a "woman" or a "black" is in the field. He was a very popular VP nominee back in '04 as well and many people felt he was the better candidate.  Morris knows this all too well, but wants to slam a portion of the Democratic Party. His motives are obvious from his own past behavior...Dick's website is a pay site...Figures...

The Associated Press via Yahoo:

Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.

The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two of his advisers. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Read on...

John ran a good campaign and vowed to stay in it all the way to the convention, but apparently that's not going to happen. John's populist message scared the daylights out of the wealthy elite and the corporate media, which ultimately hurt his coverage. We wish him and his family all the best.

Joe Trippi, a top strategist for John Edwards’ presidential campaign, conceded to the Wall Street Journal that the former senator probably won’t be the Democratic nominee, but can still have a significant influence on who is.

“I think 200 delegates on Feb. 6 is our over-under,” Mr. Trippi said. Although he continues to insist that Mr. Edwards has a chance at securing the nomination, Mr. Trippi concedes it is a long shot. More probable: arriving at the convention with enough delegates to tip the scales in favor of either Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama. “Edwards is the primary force keeping Clinton under 50%,” Mr. Trippi said. “Worst case? We go to the convention as the peacemaker, kingmaker, whatever you want to call it.”

As Mr. Trippi figures it, if Mr. Edwards gets more than 200 delegates through the Feb. 5 contests — just more than 10% of the total 1,700 delegates at stake that day — he has a long-shot chance of playing kingmaker. If he gets 350, Mr. Trippi said Mr. Edwards is almost assured of playing that role.

So far, so good. Edwards may very well be in a position to earn 10% of the delegates, and his role may prevent one of the top two from claiming a pre-convention majority. (I’m skeptical that this is going to happen, but it’s certainly possible.) At that point, Edwards would be in a very powerful position.

The question, of course, is what Edwards wants to do with that power. Kevin Drum asks: "[I]f this is a role Edwards wants to play, what does he want from it?"

We've been waiting for one of the presidential candidates to take the lead on this issue and are pleased to see John step up for the American people.

Via John Edwards' Blog:

When it comes to protecting the rule of law, words are not enough. We need action.

It's wrong for your government to spy on you. That's why I'm asking you to join me today in calling on Senate Democrats to filibuster revisions to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that would give "retroactive immunity" to the giant telecom companies for their role in aiding George W. Bush's illegal eavesdropping on American citizens.

The Senate is debating this issue right now -- which is why we must act right now. You can find your Senators' phone numbers here or call the Senate Switchboard at 1-(202)-224-3121. Read on...

(Read the rest of this story...)

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Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has been getting some much needed media attention lately, appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman last night and appeared on Countdown today and talked with Keith about the ongoing skirmish between the Obama and Clinton campaigns, Bill O'Reilly's ongoing homeless veteran nonsense and plans for his own campaign going forward.

Edwards admits he is the underdog, but believes he can pull in a good number of the undecided voters and that his populist message is resonating with a good number of Americans. Hillary Clinton said today that she believes when the Democratic nominee is finally chosen the party will unite and rally behind that candidate. Keith asks Edwards if he will make that pledge:

Olbermann: "...Are we at the state where it would help every candidate right now, all three of you in here at the top by saying you will support and you will encourage your supporters to support the Democratic nominee, no matter who it is, and that Senators Clinton and Obama should join you in saying so, maybe even before this vote is taken on Saturday?

Edwards:"Absolutely, I say that right now. You know, I intend to be the nominee so I'll hope to get the support of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton's supporters, but we should absolutely support the nominee."

Updated: (Nicole) It's a shame--and generally, I'm a fan of Olbermann--that Edwards is once again reduced to being boxed into the media framing of the horse race. Here was a golden opportunity for Edwards to once again push his populist focus--or FISA-- and force Obama and Hillary to follow his lead and instead, he's left to pledge that he'll support whomever the nominee will be.

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CNN's post-debate coverage from last night's Democratic presidential debate included a focus group of undecided South Carolina voters. The group was asked to rate the candidates throughout the debate and gauge what worked and what didn't work, and who was the group's favorite.

In the final analysis, the undecideds thought John Edwards did the best job of the three candidates -- but that some 50% said that if they voted with their heads instead of their hearts, they would vote for Obama because they felt he has the best chance to win. Edwards' scolding of Obama and Clinton after their first heated exchange scored well, but there was another point that I took from this segment that all the candidates should give notice to. The group's favorable response dropped significantly when the candidates attacked each other, but rose sharply when Clinton went after President Bush and his failed policies. Remember him?

  On Saturday afternoon, John Edwards met with Martin Luther King III, son of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the King Center in Atlanta.  He received this note (.pdf) from him the following day:

...I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

 I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.[..]

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

I don't know about you, but if I got a letter like that, it would be framed and on my wall where every visitor could see it.

Bill O'Reilly has been attacking John Edwards since his campaign began and now he's taken it onto bizarro-land.  Billo made a big point of telling both Edwards and Ed Schultz that there just weren't that many homeless veterans. The ego that dwells in the depths of Bill's mind must be a very dark place indeed---BillO couldn't be wrong, so he changed the rules.  Now he admits that there ARE homeless vets, but not due to economic reasons, as he says Edwards claims (watch it again, do you hear him say that?)  but because the veterans are substance abusers. John Edwards did respond to BillO's last attack on the troops, but it's pathetic to misquote Edwards and then say he owes BillO an apology.

His whole take on poverty in America is a novella by itself. He actually uses himself as a model of success.

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O'Reilly: Of course the rich have advantages, but I am living proof that you can start with very little and prosper economically. If you work hard and keep it honest.

Do you see a Tony Robbins-style “Making It Big When There’s Nothing In the Tank,” twenty DVD pack coming soon for old Bill? Will it include how much did FOX had to pay Andrea Mackris over the sexual harassment suit she won against BillO?

Now back to our vets. It's one thing to attack Edwards over policy, after all it might actually take a few bucks out of BillO's pocket, but to try and take his beef out on the vets is unconscionable and shows that these right wing/talk show zombies have no souls. Instead of starting a campaign to pay for homeless vets to go to the Edwards house, how about you take that money and put them up in a warm, low cost hotel?

Now Bill blames the vet homeless problem on drugs and alcohol abuse, but does he ask why they drink and use, if that's the only reason for their plight? I love the way he depicts poverty in America ala O'Reilly land. If a family makes 20K a year and have a color TV, they're living large! Let's see how Bill does with 5X that amount.

I'll let Paul Rieckhoff from IAVA take it from here... Sign the petition too...

God love him, John Edwards smacks the media who insist on making the Democratic presidential race a two person one and treating him as if he doesn't exist:

You go, John!

In related news, Edwards had taken jabs at Obama and Clinton (maybe then the press will mention him, you think?) but set his most pointed comments to Bill "There are no homeless vets" O'Reilly:

Tonight, 200,000 brave veterans will be homeless, and they will sleep in shelters, on the streets, under bridges, and on grates - and Bill O'Reilly doesn't think there is a problem. For someone who spends a lot of time shouting about patriotism, you would think he would be outraged by the treatment of our homeless veterans. How many more will it take before we wake up and solve this crisis?

While George Bush and Bill O'Reilly continue to ignore our homeless veterans, the American people, whether we are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents, must speak out and stand up for those who have stood up for us. We must do everything we can to solve this terrible problem - and we must begin by reaching out to these men and women who are suffering - not pretending they do not exist. After our veterans have served our country honorably, isn't one homeless veteran one too many?

Paul Rieckhoff from IAVA wants you to know that Edwards got it right and Billo is just plain wrong. He has an open letter/petition that we'd like for you to sign telling O'Reilly to learn more about this serious issue. Kudos to Edwards for leading this awareness.

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This bit of political hackery brought to you by MSNBC:

3. John Edwards
Former North Carolina senator Last Ranking: 3
Does he really want to be the white guy, playing the white candidate?

So this passes for political discourse at MSNBC? We've been documenting the horrible treatment Edwards has gotten from the media and polls showing him to be the best candidate against all GOP candidates going unmentioned, but this takes the cake. I honestly thought this was a joke at first glance, but to my horror, it was not.

Write a letter to MSNBC and tell them what you think.

(h/t Heather)