Did John Edwards Sleep With This Lady?

Oh, that John Edwards sex scandal thing? Itmighthave been planted and tended with care by the Huffington Post, sort of. Someone gave Sam Stein (formerNewsweekintern-turned-HuffPo Political Journalist extraordinaire!) the story of some TOTALLY MYSTERIOUS VIDEOS that disappeared from John Edwards' website. First it was a mere mysterious mystery -- why would the Edwards' campaign scrub all traces of these harmless, complimentary "meet the candidate" videos? Then it was a totally mysterious mystery involving a nutty, directionless hippie chick whom Edwards metin a bar.

Rielle Hunter, wannabe actress/producer (aspiring double threat!), was paid $114,461 by Edwards' One America Committee to produce a series of "webisodes" introducing people to the casual, "authentic" John Edwards.Whythey picked this lady to make these videos is unclear -- she really didn't have much experience doing anything beyond being, in the words of Jay McInerney, "an ostensibly jaded, cocaine-addled, sexually voracious 20-year old." That was a couple years ago, though.Nowshe's a 44-year-oldformerall of those things, and a weirdo new agey spiritualist flake, according to her website. 

But why is the HuffPo so obsessed with her and these totally boring videos ?

Because they mysteriously disappeared of course! Conveniently right around the time Edwards officially announced his candidacy! Why would he delete these harmless clips at that particular moment? Because he washaving a tumultuous affair with the producer?

Or maybe because using the videos in the actual campaign would violate campaign finance law! 

No, wait, the other one. The affair one. That one's much more exciting.

And Stein doesn't actuallysayEdwards was having an affair with Ms. Hunter, but the National Enquirer conveniently ran a story just veiled enough for all sorts of bloggers to feel v v clever and proud of themselves when they "connected the dots" (John met this unnamed ladyat a bar do you see??).

Hell, maybe John did fuck this lady! Or maybe she's a nut who convinced herself they were having an affair! Or maybe the campaign cooked up this whole hoax to end all the gay jokes! We don't know! None of this will be cleared up until all the tv networks start running anguished reports on how they're not reporting on the story that the uncivil internet people cooked up.

 Well, She's Hotter Than Monica [Radosh]

 Edwards Mystery: Innocuous Videos Suddenly Shrouded In Secrecy [HuffPo]

 Scrubbed: Edwards Filmmaker's Deleted Website Raises Questions [HuffPo]