CQ POLITICS: In a statement timed to preempt a new book by a former aide, John Edwards admitted paternity of a daughter with former mistress Rielle Hunter, despite his previous denials. MORE
SALON: The former senator and presidential candidate admitted today that he is the father of former girlfriend Rielle Hunter’s daughter Quinn. The National Enquirer, which broke the story of the affair, had previously reported that Edwards was Quinn Hunter’s father. But even though he admitted to the relationship in the summer of 2008, Edwards had denied paternity until now. He’d also initially staged a fairly elaborate cover-up in which a longtime aide claimed to be the child’s father. MORE
JOHN EDWARDS: I am Quinn’s father. I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace. It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me. I have been providing financial support for Quinn and have reached an agreement with her mother to continue providing support in the future. To all those I have disappointed and hurt, these words will never be enough, but I am truly sorry.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE: There was little that was elliptical about the Enquirer story that hit the streets on October 10, however. “Presidential 
candidate John Edwards is caught in a shocking mistress scandal that could wreck his campaign,” was the lead, and the article went on to cite a “bombshell email message” in which the other woman “confesses to a friend she’s ‘in love with John,’ but it’s ‘difficult because he is married and has kids.’” The next morning, John and Elizabeth were scheduled to fly out of Raleigh to separate destinations—he to South Carolina, she to Iowa. But when the traveling staff arrived at their home, they found Elizabeth out of sorts, disconsolate, still in her bathrobe. She had drafted a blog post she wanted published, defending her husband from the accusations against him. This kind of tawdriness was something the Clintons would be involved in, she wrote, but not the Edwardses. The staff persuaded Elizabeth that posting the item would do more harm than good. But she was livid about what she saw as the campaign’s feeble response to the story. After pulling herself together, she and John set off for the private aviation terminal at the airport—but partway there, their car pulled over, and John hopped out and jumped into the staff car, saying in an exasperated tone, “I can’t ride with her.” At the terminal, the couple fought in the passenger waiting area. They fought outside in the parking lot. Elizabeth was sobbing, out of control, incoherent. As their aides tried to avert their eyes, she tore off her blouse, exposing herself. “Look at me!” she wailed at John and then staggered, nearly falling to the ground. MORE