Edwards Affair Likely to Draw Attention to John McCain Affair
It was 1979 when a still married John McCain met his now wife Cindy at a cocktail party. Over the next six months he pursued her, flying around the country to see her. Then he began to push to end his marriage.
Carol and her children were devastated. ‘It was a complete surprise,' says Nancy Reynolds, a former Reagan aide.
The Daily Mail in June profiled John McCain's first marriage, which is rarely spoken about. But in light of what has transpired with Democratic one time Presidential hopeful John Edwards, McCain's previous family life is bound to be brought up. And there will likely be comparisons drawn. Elizabeth Edwards has been suffering through incurable cancer. John McCain's first wife, Carol, was in a near fatal car accident while he was imprisoned in Vietnam, disfiguring her. When the Senator first met Carol, she was a famous beauty and a successful swimwear model when they married in 1965. Upon returning home from Vietnam, she was unrecognizable.
The similarities between McCain's relationship and John Edward's missteps probably end there, however,
One of the reasons we hear so little about Carol is that the two remain friends to this day. He agreed as part of their divorce settlement to "pay her medical bills for life".
John McCain and his wife were apart for a long period of time as well. And - oh yeah - Senator McCain was not running for President of the United States and lying about seeing another woman.
And to be fair, McCain has been happily married for over 30 years to Cindy. But still there are those who might frown upon the Senator in light of what has transpired with John Edwards.
"My marriage ended because John McCain didn't want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens...it just does," Carol told the Daily Mail.
Some of McCain's acquaintances are less forgiving, the London tabloid reported.
They portray the politician as a self-centred womaniser who effectively abandoned his crippled wife to ‘play the field'. They accuse him of finally settling on Cindy, a former rodeo beauty queen, for financial reasons.
McCain was then earning little more than £25,000 a year as a naval officer, while his new father-in-law, Jim Hensley, was a multi-millionaire who had impeccable political connections.
But setting out to have a good time, the young McCain hung out with a group of young officers who called themselves the ‘Bad Bunch'.
His primary interest was women and his conquests ranged from a knife-wielding floozy nicknamed ‘Marie, the Flame of Florida' to a tobacco heiress.
Since Edwards acknowledgement of his affair with Rielle Hunter, odds makers have shortened Barack Obama's odds to become President ever so slightly from -275 down to -225. McCain would now pay $185 for every $100 bet at Bookmaker.com This could mirror concern that the Democratic party is - at the very least - temporarily affected by Edwards fall from grace.
Obama addressed the John Edwards situation while on vacation in his native Hawaii.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I think the Edwards family already indicated they would not be attending the convention. I understand that," commented Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. "This is a difficult and painful time for them and I think they need to work through their process of healing"
Reporters asked John McCain his opinion on Edwards during a fundraiser in Arkansas. His reply: no comment.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
