Best Candidate's Wife: Elizabeth Edwards

[T 3]

As the big face off nears I happened to think about the candidate's wives,I believe a man's wife reveals much about the man.Out of the 4, I'd have to say I like Elizabeth Edwards most....

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/n...2004_0708.html

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/elizabeth_edwards/


The North Carolina Senator's Wife
A Thoroughly Modern Blend of Other Political Wives
The New York Times

by Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Washington, DC - America got a fresh glimpse of Elizabeth Edwards on Wednesday and witnessed a thoroughly modern political wife.

She appeared steady and solid in taupe pantsuit and sensible heels. When her husband, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, made his debut as a vice-presidential candidate on national television, it was Mrs. Edwards who held together the family tableau, maintaining a firm grasp on the hand of their 6-year-old daughter, Emma Claire, to prevent her from twirling about and wrecking the photo opportunity.

"That is the real Elizabeth," said Tricia Arnett, one of Mrs. Edwards's good friends. "Her most important job in the world is mother, and she's probably the most unpretentious person I know. I think you saw that coming through today."

But at 55, Mrs. Edwards is much more than the mother of John Edwards's children. Smart, blunt, hilariously funny, she is a professional woman in her own right and also her husband's most trusted political adviser -- Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton rolled into one.

Like Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Edwards has been a successful lawyer; she practiced bankruptcy law until 1996, when the Edwardses' son, Wade, died in a car accident at age 16.

And like Mrs. Reagan, she is fiercely protective of her husband's image, so much so that when Mr. Edwards's media consultant, David Axelrod, did not live up to her exacting expectations during the senator's bid for the Democratic nomination, a new image-maker was brought in to advise him. Mrs. Edwards correctly understood that her husband's sunny optimism was his greatest political asset, Mr. Axelrod said, and she was determined that voters see it.

"She was very involved in the process and that she had a very strong proprietary sense of how John Edwards was going to be presented," he said. "There's no doubt that she and I had our moments, but I came away from it with great respect for her."

On Wednesday, in the first public appearance of her husband's campaign for the vice presidency, Mrs. Edwards kept her remarks brief and to the point. She and Mr. Edwards and their three children, Cate, 22, Emma Claire, and Jack, 4, had spent the night at a farm outside Pittsburgh that belongs to Mr. Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. "Any endeavor that starts in an environment like this has got to have the wind at its back," Mrs. Edwards said, as the two families stood side by side in the lush green rolling hills. "I feel completely confident about this race."

Confidence and calm are traits Mrs. Edwards exudes. Awaiting Mr. Kerry's vice-presidential pick, she showed not a trace of anxiety, said her brother, Jay Anania, a filmmaker in Manhattan. "I told her I was constantly baffled and annoyed by her Zen-like attitude." On the campaign trail, she lends a kind of gravitas to her husband; Mr. Edwards's advisers say voters give him credit for choosing a partner who seems so down to earth and to have coped so well with the death of a child. And women who have had trouble conceiving are well aware that Mrs. Edwards, who began having children again in her late 40's, underwent fertility treatment.

"I did a television program this morning," Mr. Axelrod said, "and the make-up artist commented on that and said, 'You know, it's great to see his wife out there. You know, she's a little bit heavy, she's not from Central Casting, she seems like a real person.'"

People who know Mrs. Edwards say she is as she appears -- a woman who volunteered in the Parent-Teacher Association when Wade and Cate were young, who kept up friendships through a monthly "lunch bunch" in North Carolina. Last week, to celebrate her 55th birthday, she went out to dinner with friends and discussed what clothes she might wear if her husband was picked to run for vice president. Like women across America, she is trying out the South Beach diet.

"Elizabeth is very self-effacing," said Steve Jarding, a former adviser to Mr. Edwards. "I don't think John has the massive ego that a lot of politicians have. But if he did, Elizabeth would absolutely slice it up. It's not her personality to allow it."

Unlike her husband, whose rags-to-riches story is well known, Mrs. Edwards, born Elizabeth Anania, grew up in a sophisticated middle-class family. Her father, a Navy pilot, was of Italian descent; her mother was from a Mississippi family with deep roots in the South. The eldest of three children, she spent part of her childhood in Japan, where her father was stationed. She met Mr. Edwards in law school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. On the surface, the pair could not have seemed more different, said Mr. Anania. She was talkative and "sort of Bohemian, the smart kind in the library working on the literary review," and also very pretty. "Everybody had a crush on her." He seemed like "a very decent Southern boy."

But, Mr. Anania said, "It was just so apparent that she felt a comfort with him."

As her husband became a successful trial lawyer in North Carolina, Mrs. Edwards practiced law, eventually cutting back her hours to part-time. But when Wade died, she withdrew from work entirely. She found a way out through Internet support groups and charitable work. Together with her husband, she helped establish a foundation in honor of Wade, and a computer learning center, the Wade Edwards Learning Lab, for youngsters in Raleigh.

"She's a real project person," said Ellan Maynard, a good friend, "and that was a way she could put her energy to good use and a way to keep her from staying up all night without walking the floors. It wasn't a cure. It was a mechanism to help her get through the day."

When Mrs. Edwards decided to have children again, friends were skeptical; they worried what it would be like for her, trotting kids off to school at age 55 alongside women 20 and 30 years her junior. Mr. Axelrod, the media consultant, recalled a discussion with her: "She said, 'The music had gone out of our lives. We were all grieving, including Cate. We knew we needed to bring more children into our house.'"

As to how she will juggle the demands of motherhood and the campaign trail, friends acknowledge it will be difficult. The family rule, Ms. Maynard said, is that one parent is home at all times. But on Wednesday, that rule was broken, and probably not for the last time. After a campaign appearance in Cleveland, Elizabeth Edwards kissed Jack and Emma Claire goodbye, packing them off with a nanny while she continued on the campaign trail for a few more days at her husband's side.


Elizabeth Anania Edwards is the daughter of a decorated Navy pilot, and was born on July 3, 1949. In her early years, she attended school in Japan, where her father was stationed with a reconnaissance squadron, flying missions over China and North Korea.

As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mrs. Edwards majored in English, and graduated from UNC Law School in May 1977. She married John Edwards on July 30th, the Saturday after taking the bar exam.

Following law school, she clerked with U.S. District Court Judge Calvitt Clarke, Jr. in Norfolk, Virginia. She worked for the North Carolina Attorney General's office in the early 1980s where she did work for the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development and helped with the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.

Mrs. Edwards has worked at the Raleigh law firm Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton, taught legal writing as an adjunct instructor at UNC Law School, and was a member of the first group of Public Fellows at the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC.

Mrs. Edwards believes in giving back to her community. She has volunteered with the Parent Teacher Associations at her children's schools, and has been active in their youth soccer leagues. Additionally, she volunteered at Goodwill Industries, working in the book room of their thrift store. In 1992, John and Elizabeth Edwards established the Vincent J. Anania Lacrosse Scholarship in honor of Elizabeth's father, a former lacrosse player and Assistant Coach at UNC-Chapel Hill.

In 1996, they helped establish the Wade Edwards Foundation in honor of their son, and helped build a computer learning center - the Wade Edwards Learning Lab - for young people in Raleigh. The Wade Edwards Foundation also runs a statewide short fiction contest for North Carolina's high school juniors, awarding $10,000 a year in scholarships and grants to high school English programs. Mrs. Edwards volunteered at the lab nearly every day, until the family came to Washington following John Edwards' 1998 election to the U.S. Senate.

John and Elizabeth are the proud parents of four children: Cate, a recent graduate of Princeton University, a 6-year-old daughter, Emma Claire, and a 4-year-old son, Jack. Their first child, Wade, died in 1996.

Despite the demands of raising two young children, Mrs. Edwards still finds time to participate in community service. She remains active in the Wade Edwards Foundation, and is involved in a variety of charitable efforts, including fundraising for the March of Dimes benefit. She also serves on several boards, including the UNC Board of Visitors and Books for Kids.

[BikeQuest]

Yeah, Elizabeth Edwards is definitely cool. But did you see Teresa Heinz Kerry last night at the convention. What an incredible woman. She is a very independent thinking and outspoken woman. And is it just me, or does she look good to be 65 years old?

Born in Mozambique to a prosperous Portuguese family, Heinz speaks five languages and has worked as a translator for the United Nations. Heinz's résumé exceeds that of your typical political wife—in fact, it exceeds that of your typical political candidate. She testified before Congress about pension policy, lobbied members of the first Bush administration about lead poisoning, and persuaded Massachusetts to adopt a prescription drug program that was developed with Heinz foundation money. And this is my favorite part; because of her African birth land and her US citizenship she calls herself African-American. Priceless.

And as we know she speaks her mind. Here is a similar insight into why she told the reporter to shove it. When asked about her adding of Kerry’s name to hers this was her reply, "Now, politically, it's going to be Teresa Heinz Kerry, but I don't give a $hit, you know? There are other things to worry about." How true.

She once called US Sen. Rick Santoran (R) "Forrest Gump with an attitude." LOL And then refused to apologized for that comment. And deep down she is really a Republican. She’s just doing the Democratic thing to support her husband.

After her first husband, the late Sen. John Heinz (R), died in the plane crash in 1991, she was asked by Bob Dole and Arlen Spector to run for his seat. Her reply to that request was this statement," Today's most creative thinking is not happening in Washington. Today, political campaigns are the graveyard of real ideas and the birthplace of empty promises." I feel ya sista!

Then there is the whole thing about when she said if she ever caught her husband cheating she would "maim" him. A little John Wayne Bobbitt never hurt nobody…Well… except Mr. Bobbitt of coarse! Hillary should take notes.

Wow! As kept man said, she is quite saucy! I wonder if I could vote for her instead. Sometimes I find the status quo somewhat boring.

[kept man]

No kidding, Quest ... originally the 'saucy' was just a convenient joke born out of her "shove it" statement coupled with her Heinz heritage. But she really does seem like a fascinating person ...

... How do those of you more familiar with the American political scene feel that she'll affect/or not things? Are the rumours that many midwest women pick candidates based on their wives still true?

In Canada, we heard a lot about Hilary, and there were lots of jokes about Nancy Reagan running the show, but both Bush wives were entirely non-entities for our media. It seems to me that if Hilary drew attention, Teresa is almost certain to draw more, despite her lack of personal political ambition. Is this good or bad? Will she inspire, or alienate? C'mon, armchair analysts, lemme know what's up ...

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by kept man

No kidding, Quest ... originally the 'saucy' was just a convenient joke born out of her "shove it" statement coupled with her Heinz heritage. But she really does seem like a fascinating person ...

... How do those of you more familiar with the American political scene feel that she'll affect/or not things? Are the rumours that many midwest women pick candidates based on their wives still true?

In Canada, we heard a lot about Hilary, and there were lots of jokes about Nancy Reagan running the show, but both Bush wives were entirely non-entities for our media. It seems to me that if Hilary drew attention, Teresa is almost certain to draw more, despite her lack of personal political ambition. Is this good or bad? Will she inspire, or alienate? C'mon, armchair analysts, lemme know what's up ...

She will definitely draw more attention than Hillary. She is far more outspoken than anyone that has had a chance to be first lady. There are some out there that will welcome someone like her because she is her own person, and there's a confidence there, that you don't often see in first ladies. Unlike Hillary, she also has her own desires and aspirations separate and apart from politics. I hope she does not demur in any way to the misogynistic, patriarchal views she will encounter as this election continues. There are some in this country that would prefer their women bare foot and pregnant with no clear opinion of their own.

[kept man]

Yeah, I have to admit that if I could, I'd vote for Teresa to be prez over the other two candidates. So far she's already come across as a lot more dynamic and interesting than her hubby John.

But just to finish that ranking, as an outsider, why people talk about W having values and being brave etc is still beyond me ... at least Kerry was a soldier, worked in law, etc ... being a screw-up who cleaned up doesn't make you a hero - at best, it means you're no longer a screw-up. What else has he done in 'the real world' outside politics? I don't get it.

Vote Teresa, 2004!

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by kept man

Yeah, I have to admit that if I could, I'd vote for Teresa to be prez over the other two candidates. So far she's already come across as a lot more dynamic and interesting than her hubby John.

But just to finish that ranking, as an outsider, why people talk about W having values and being brave etc is still beyond me ... at least Kerry was a soldier, worked in law, etc ... being a screw-up who cleaned up doesn't make you a hero - at best, it means you're no longer a screw-up. What else has he done in 'the real world' outside politics? I don't get it.

Vote Teresa, 2004!

I think that's why we have so many heated discussions on this forum. Those of us who clearly see what you just stated as reality and the others, who I guess are reminded of loved ones they have had to protect their whole lives, love ones who remind them of our esteemed President.

What a total bunch of space cadets! Some will try to convince you with PICTURES, others will try to convince you with false information about his intelligence and still others are just plain crack heads and say things like "he is brave." The guy avoided Vietnam, right?

So then what do theses people do? Successful Republican women will agree with the party’s platform on affirmative action, the whole time, deep down inside, knowing they would not have achieved a small percentage of their success without it. And they are keenly aware of their worth, or lack there of, in the party’s agenda. I can bring home the bacon...

Then there is the brave guy, who actually served in the military for this great country, who will back this guy that avoided any substantive service in the military at all. What exactly does this person see? Does he/she think they are the same in any way? Beam me up Scotty!

How about the working class American family, both rural and urban, who believed in this party’s platform, without any knowledge of the total platform. Because of their lack of knowledge, they may not understand why their hard earned dollars are less valuable now, while some of our more wealthy Americans get richer. Can you hear me now? Good!

How about the educators, who are well aware that our president always made C's, who won’t question in any way, how he was able to attend some of the best schools in this country, when clearly there is always a waiting list of straight A students trying to get in. Heck, there’s a young lady in my church who has a 4.67GPA. And she is not going Ivy League! Welcome to the USA!

And my favorite: The guy is functionally illiterate. What puzzles me most about this is, there are some very intelligent people in this world and on the MTBR forum, who are aware of this deficiency, but apparently that just doesn't matter. And they want me to believe he's smart! They will vehemently argue with you about this point. So what do we tell our kids about the importance of school? 20 years ago, I always heard it as,” You have to study hard if you want to be President some day.” No need.

And the whole recent," It's cool he rides a mountain bike because I feel we have something in common" thing is just the lamest thing I've ever read. He's the President, your an average joe. Trust me, you have nothing in common. But if you guys want to continue to live in that fantasy world, I hope you will envite the rest of us some day to your world, so we can take a break from reallity also. Hello, is anyone home?

kept man, I suggest you go back to Canada. Sometimes the thinking in this country is like an enigma wrapped in a riddle. You’re wasting your time trying to “get it.”

[kept man]

LOL! Why Quest, that's the most polite I've ever been 'kicked out' of anywhere before!

... I'm just joking, of course. But two serious points:

1) I don't think my chances of 'getting it' are really better anywhere else. I love Canada, but I'm not so biased as to really believe that whatever strange things happen in America have to do so much with the country specifically as with human nature in general. It might manifest in different ways in different places, but people are people. And I am still one of them.

2) While I am puzzled, I am also really open to hearing why people say all these great things. Hell, if I could write a resume saying how great and smart and brave I was without any specific examples, I'd go for it!

Perhaps because I disagree with Republican perspectives on things like Iraq there's no point in 'convincing' me of his heroism in these matters, but honestly ... mismanaged the Rangers, some failed oil endeavours, and then to Governor of Texas. And what did he do at Yale? Listening to the accolades of someone like Barak Obama - from Harvard Law and so on - I think: "wow, now that is a guy who did some stuff!" There's a guy who I think people could say a lot about. And Kerry, despite his single-minded ambition, has also done some stuff that impresses me. But so much of what Bush is lauded for - and what Kerry is dumped on for - seem so empty ... if not hypocritical, when it comes to war and defense.

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by kept man

LOL! Why Quest, that's the most polite I've ever been 'kicked out' of anywhere before!

... I'm just joking, of course. But two serious points:

1) I don't think my chances of 'getting it' are really better anywhere else. I love Canada, but I'm not so biased as to really believe that whatever strange things happen in America have to do so much with the country specifically as with human nature in general. It might manifest in different ways in different places, but people are people. And I am still one of them.

2) While I am puzzled, I am also really open to hearing why people say all these great things. Hell, if I could write a resume saying how great and smart and brave I was without any specific examples, I'd go for it!

Perhaps because I disagree with Republican perspectives on things like Iraq there's no point in 'convincing' me of his heroism in these matters, but honestly ... mismanaged the Rangers, some failed oil endeavours, and then to Governor of Texas. And what did he do at Yale? Listening to the accolades of someone like Barak Obama - from Harvard Law and so on - I think: "wow, now that is a guy who did some stuff!" There's a guy who I think people could say a lot about. And Kerry, despite his single-minded ambition, has also done some stuff that impresses me. But so much of what Bush is lauded for - and what Kerry is dumped on for - seem so empty ... if not hypocritical, when it comes to war and defense.

I disagree with you on one point that I highlighted above. How is it your countrymen have more gun ownership, percentage wise, but far lower murder rates than we Americans? And I mean far lower! Have any ideas or thoughts?

[jubilee]

Originally Posted by BikeQuest

I disagree with you on one point that I highlighted above. How is it your countrymen have more gun ownership, percentage wise, but far lower murder rates than we Americans? And I mean far lower! Have any ideas or thoughts?

(Donning flame suit).....

Have you seen Bowling for Columbine?

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by jubilee

(Donning flame suit).....

Have you seen Bowling for Columbine?

That movie is actually what made me wonder about that topic.

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by BikeQuest

I disagree with you on one point that I highlighted above. How is it your countrymen have more gun ownership, percentage wise, but far lower murder rates than we Americans? And I mean far lower! Have any ideas or thoughts?

Maybe those darn Canadians have that pre-crime stuff. Maybe they are just stopping murder before it occurs. Muuuurrrrrrrderrrrrr!

[kept man]

I loved that flick ... intelligent sci-fi that was entertaining and yet still retained the interesting smart-ness at the core of the story. Not like the so-called 'inspired by Asimov' I Robot ...

I agree with Jubilee that the guns thing has to do with the "Culture of Fear" theory from Columbine ... I don't have a flame suit, so I'm just going to have to run for the hills.

But I don't think that's all of it: consider for yourselves this situation ... There is a tree nursery right next to Mrs. Kept's work here in MA where employees often hike during lunch. But they must be warned to wear bright colours and be careful because apparently, hikers have been annually shot at by overzealous deer hunters. Thankfully, this did not happen last year.

Now back home, our favourite mtb/hiking trails actually intersected and passed through some hunting grounds ... even a hunting preserve. Yet never has there been (in my memory, at least) any problems with anyone who isn't a deer being shot at. In some places the bike trails can often get mixed up with the game trails. And yet no shooting.

Clearly, it isn't a question of being afraid of deer ... so what, then?

On a side note (aka, I'm seeing how far off topic we can push this thread), does anyone else feel that the technology in sports like hunting and fishing have developed to the point of making them ... unsporting?

I love fishing, but with all these super fish finders and such it doesn't seem fair. Likewise, rifle and scope technology have developed to the point where they correct for wind and all sorts of things ... killing deer from ridiculous distances in any conditions now seems standard. How is it 'sporting' when it's this damn easy? I've never hunted before, but I'm not against it ... if I ever did hunt, it would be with a bow. It seems to me that might still require some reasonably serious skill. Just my 2 cents on un-sporting ...

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by kept man

I loved that flick ... intelligent sci-fi that was entertaining and yet still retained the interesting smart-ness at the core of the story. Not like the so-called 'inspired by Asimov' I Robot ...

I agree with Jubilee that the guns thing has to do with the "Culture of Fear" theory from Columbine ... I don't have a flame suit, so I'm just going to have to run for the hills.

But I don't think that's all of it: consider for yourselves this situation ... There is a tree nursery right next to Mrs. Kept's work here in MA where employees often hike during lunch. But they must be warned to wear bright colours and be careful because apparently, hikers have been annually shot at by overzealous deer hunters. Thankfully, this did not happen last year.

Now back home, our favourite mtb/hiking trails actually intersected and passed through some hunting grounds ... even a hunting preserve. Yet never has there been (in my memory, at least) any problems with anyone who isn't a deer being shot at. In some places the bike trails can often get mixed up with the game trails. And yet no shooting.

Clearly, it isn't a question of being afraid of deer ... so what, then?

On a side note (aka, I'm seeing how far off topic we can push this thread), does anyone else feel that the technology in sports like hunting and fishing have developed to the point of making them ... unsporting?

I love fishing, but with all these super fish finders and such it doesn't seem fair. Likewise, rifle and scope technology have developed to the point where they correct for wind and all sorts of things ... killing deer from ridiculous distances in any conditions now seems standard. How is it 'sporting' when it's this damn easy? I've never hunted before, but I'm not against it ... if I ever did hunt, it would be with a bow. It seems to me that might still require some reasonably serious skill. Just my 2 cents on un-sporting ...

Hey I like the way you think fella...

Let’s take this way off point. In Texas hunters would have to do quite a bit of cultivating in order to even get close enough to a deer to kill the thing. I mean it's a big state, so there is some work involved in hunting and killing. A lot of it.

Now, here in Maryland we have an overpopulation problem. If you want to hunt deer here all you have to do is have a hammer. I mean those rascals are everywhere. And if you jog around here in the morning it’s almost like that Geico commercial. There is not a week that goes by were someone has not hit one in my neighborhood. I think there should be some sort of controlled killing allowed. But with my area being liberal and all, there definitely won’t be any animal capital punishment. Damn tree huggers!

And if you don't get my point, then you have not had the opportunity to come screaming down a hill and there are several deer standing on the trail at the bottom with a very nice, large rack of antlers evenly divided between them. And in overpopulation situations animals become very familiar with humans and don't always run away quickly. It's almost like a fight or flight thing.

[kept man]

I've never understood how even 'tree-huggers' (which I am to some degree) could oppose regulated population-control hunting during overpopulated times. A lot of the things will just end up starving to death ... sure it's natural, but how is it any less cruel? I would say more cruel. And then, of course, in the following years you're just ensuring yourself population troubles with predators, who have flourished during the deer overpopulation. I don't get it.

I have no idea what Texas climate/vegetation looks like ... in most of Canada save the prairies, there's enough wood cover that you can get pretty close (or just sit yourself and wait pretty close) to game ...

... I completely understand the danger of the big animals. A couple summers ago Mrs. Kept was out biking in Newfoundland, came around a corner on a downhill, and just about got herself run over by a moose who came lumbering out of the woods. Turned out he was something of a 'domesticated' moose who had become used to people and the park rangers, but Mrs. Kept didn't expect him ... only her fancy skills kept her from piling into the big sucker. The squeal of her brakes brought everyone over, and they all had a nice visit with the big guy, but still ... dangerous.

And yes, I've even known people who got killed in car vs. moose collisions ... on a bike, a deer is just as dangerous ...

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by kept man

I've never understood how even 'tree-huggers' (which I am to some degree) could oppose regulated population-control hunting during overpopulated times. A lot of the things will just end up starving to death ... sure it's natural, but how is it any less cruel? I would say more cruel. And then, of course, in the following years you're just ensuring yourself population troubles with predators, who have flourished during the deer overpopulation. I don't get it.

I have no idea what Texas climate/vegetation looks like ... in most of Canada save the prairies, there's enough wood cover that you can get pretty close (or just sit yourself and wait pretty close) to game ...

... I completely understand the danger of the big animals. A couple summers ago Mrs. Kept was out biking in Newfoundland, came around a corner on a downhill, and just about got herself run over by a moose who came lumbering out of the woods. Turned out he was something of a 'domesticated' moose who had become used to people and the park rangers, but Mrs. Kept didn't expect him ... only her fancy skills kept her from piling into the big sucker. The squeal of her brakes brought everyone over, and they all had a nice visit with the big guy, but still ... dangerous.

And yes, I've even known people who got killed in car vs. moose collisions ... on a bike, a deer is just as dangerous ...

There is a little bit of everything in Texas climate/vegetation/terrain wise. North Texas is hilly and hot, but it will snow/ice with some trees. South Texas is somewhat flat with high heat little trees. East Texas has lots of tall pine trees and is very humid. West Texas can be somewhat dessert like with the occasional mountain. And in Crawford there are hills/pretzels that would choke a mule/President! I just couldn't resist.

[Bike Nazi]

Originally Posted by T 3

As the big face off nears I happened to think about the candidate's wives,I believe a man's wife reveals much about the man.Out of the 4, I'd have to say I like Elizabeth Edwards most....

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/n...2004_0708.html

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/elizabeth_edwards/


The North Carolina Senator's Wife
A Thoroughly Modern Blend of Other Political Wives
The New York Times

by Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Washington, DC - America got a fresh glimpse of Elizabeth Edwards on Wednesday and witnessed a thoroughly modern political wife.

She appeared steady and solid in taupe pantsuit and sensible heels. When her husband, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, made his debut as a vice-presidential candidate on national television, it was Mrs. Edwards who held together the family tableau, maintaining a firm grasp on the hand of their 6-year-old daughter, Emma Claire, to prevent her from twirling about and wrecking the photo opportunity.

"That is the real Elizabeth," said Tricia Arnett, one of Mrs. Edwards's good friends. "Her most important job in the world is mother, and she's probably the most unpretentious person I know. I think you saw that coming through today."

But at 55, Mrs. Edwards is much more than the mother of John Edwards's children. Smart, blunt, hilariously funny, she is a professional woman in her own right and also her husband's most trusted political adviser -- Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton rolled into one.

Like Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Edwards has been a successful lawyer; she practiced bankruptcy law until 1996, when the Edwardses' son, Wade, died in a car accident at age 16.

And like Mrs. Reagan, she is fiercely protective of her husband's image, so much so that when Mr. Edwards's media consultant, David Axelrod, did not live up to her exacting expectations during the senator's bid for the Democratic nomination, a new image-maker was brought in to advise him. Mrs. Edwards correctly understood that her husband's sunny optimism was his greatest political asset, Mr. Axelrod said, and she was determined that voters see it.

"She was very involved in the process and that she had a very strong proprietary sense of how John Edwards was going to be presented," he said. "There's no doubt that she and I had our moments, but I came away from it with great respect for her."

On Wednesday, in the first public appearance of her husband's campaign for the vice presidency, Mrs. Edwards kept her remarks brief and to the point. She and Mr. Edwards and their three children, Cate, 22, Emma Claire, and Jack, 4, had spent the night at a farm outside Pittsburgh that belongs to Mr. Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. "Any endeavor that starts in an environment like this has got to have the wind at its back," Mrs. Edwards said, as the two families stood side by side in the lush green rolling hills. "I feel completely confident about this race."

Confidence and calm are traits Mrs. Edwards exudes. Awaiting Mr. Kerry's vice-presidential pick, she showed not a trace of anxiety, said her brother, Jay Anania, a filmmaker in Manhattan. "I told her I was constantly baffled and annoyed by her Zen-like attitude." On the campaign trail, she lends a kind of gravitas to her husband; Mr. Edwards's advisers say voters give him credit for choosing a partner who seems so down to earth and to have coped so well with the death of a child. And women who have had trouble conceiving are well aware that Mrs. Edwards, who began having children again in her late 40's, underwent fertility treatment.

"I did a television program this morning," Mr. Axelrod said, "and the make-up artist commented on that and said, 'You know, it's great to see his wife out there. You know, she's a little bit heavy, she's not from Central Casting, she seems like a real person.'"

People who know Mrs. Edwards say she is as she appears -- a woman who volunteered in the Parent-Teacher Association when Wade and Cate were young, who kept up friendships through a monthly "lunch bunch" in North Carolina. Last week, to celebrate her 55th birthday, she went out to dinner with friends and discussed what clothes she might wear if her husband was picked to run for vice president. Like women across America, she is trying out the South Beach diet.

"Elizabeth is very self-effacing," said Steve Jarding, a former adviser to Mr. Edwards. "I don't think John has the massive ego that a lot of politicians have. But if he did, Elizabeth would absolutely slice it up. It's not her personality to allow it."

Unlike her husband, whose rags-to-riches story is well known, Mrs. Edwards, born Elizabeth Anania, grew up in a sophisticated middle-class family. Her father, a Navy pilot, was of Italian descent; her mother was from a Mississippi family with deep roots in the South. The eldest of three children, she spent part of her childhood in Japan, where her father was stationed. She met Mr. Edwards in law school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. On the surface, the pair could not have seemed more different, said Mr. Anania. She was talkative and "sort of Bohemian, the smart kind in the library working on the literary review," and also very pretty. "Everybody had a crush on her." He seemed like "a very decent Southern boy."

But, Mr. Anania said, "It was just so apparent that she felt a comfort with him."

As her husband became a successful trial lawyer in North Carolina, Mrs. Edwards practiced law, eventually cutting back her hours to part-time. But when Wade died, she withdrew from work entirely. She found a way out through Internet support groups and charitable work. Together with her husband, she helped establish a foundation in honor of Wade, and a computer learning center, the Wade Edwards Learning Lab, for youngsters in Raleigh.

"She's a real project person," said Ellan Maynard, a good friend, "and that was a way she could put her energy to good use and a way to keep her from staying up all night without walking the floors. It wasn't a cure. It was a mechanism to help her get through the day."

When Mrs. Edwards decided to have children again, friends were skeptical; they worried what it would be like for her, trotting kids off to school at age 55 alongside women 20 and 30 years her junior. Mr. Axelrod, the media consultant, recalled a discussion with her: "She said, 'The music had gone out of our lives. We were all grieving, including Cate. We knew we needed to bring more children into our house.'"

As to how she will juggle the demands of motherhood and the campaign trail, friends acknowledge it will be difficult. The family rule, Ms. Maynard said, is that one parent is home at all times. But on Wednesday, that rule was broken, and probably not for the last time. After a campaign appearance in Cleveland, Elizabeth Edwards kissed Jack and Emma Claire goodbye, packing them off with a nanny while she continued on the campaign trail for a few more days at her husband's side.


Elizabeth Anania Edwards is the daughter of a decorated Navy pilot, and was born on July 3, 1949. In her early years, she attended school in Japan, where her father was stationed with a reconnaissance squadron, flying missions over China and North Korea.

As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mrs. Edwards majored in English, and graduated from UNC Law School in May 1977. She married John Edwards on July 30th, the Saturday after taking the bar exam.

Following law school, she clerked with U.S. District Court Judge Calvitt Clarke, Jr. in Norfolk, Virginia. She worked for the North Carolina Attorney General's office in the early 1980s where she did work for the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development and helped with the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.

Mrs. Edwards has worked at the Raleigh law firm Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton, taught legal writing as an adjunct instructor at UNC Law School, and was a member of the first group of Public Fellows at the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC.

Mrs. Edwards believes in giving back to her community. She has volunteered with the Parent Teacher Associations at her children's schools, and has been active in their youth soccer leagues. Additionally, she volunteered at Goodwill Industries, working in the book room of their thrift store. In 1992, John and Elizabeth Edwards established the Vincent J. Anania Lacrosse Scholarship in honor of Elizabeth's father, a former lacrosse player and Assistant Coach at UNC-Chapel Hill.

In 1996, they helped establish the Wade Edwards Foundation in honor of their son, and helped build a computer learning center - the Wade Edwards Learning Lab - for young people in Raleigh. The Wade Edwards Foundation also runs a statewide short fiction contest for North Carolina's high school juniors, awarding $10,000 a year in scholarships and grants to high school English programs. Mrs. Edwards volunteered at the lab nearly every day, until the family came to Washington following John Edwards' 1998 election to the U.S. Senate.

John and Elizabeth are the proud parents of four children: Cate, a recent graduate of Princeton University, a 6-year-old daughter, Emma Claire, and a 4-year-old son, Jack. Their first child, Wade, died in 1996.

Despite the demands of raising two young children, Mrs. Edwards still finds time to participate in community service. She remains active in the Wade Edwards Foundation, and is involved in a variety of charitable efforts, including fundraising for the March of Dimes benefit. She also serves on several boards, including the UNC Board of Visitors and Books for Kids.

Just kidding. Are we ever going to have an attractive 1st lady or is it a prerequisite to have a plain jane or bufugly wife to excel in politics?

[BikeQuest]

Originally Posted by Bike Nazi

Just kidding. Are we ever going to have an attractive 1st lady or is it a prerequisite to have a plain jane or bufugly wife to excel in politics?

Now that's just not nice...

[T 3]

Originally Posted by Bike Nazi

Just kidding. Are we ever going to have an attractive 1st lady or is it a prerequisite to have a plain jane or bufugly wife to excel in politics?

I think Jackie was attractive enough Bike Nazi.

As for you KeptMan,You have a propensity for hihacking my threads dam it ! You're worse than those F'ing pop ups for criss sakes.

[kept man]

T3 ... I'll try not to jack your threads, if you promise not to start calling me Sharham-Kept-Muja-Mohammad-Man. I think that was politically incorrect enough, yes?

While I'm at it, and at the risk of looking all hypocritical compared to threads gone by, I personally find Teresa kinda attractive. Maybe it's just that outspokenness and attitude of hers - and that accent, of course - but yeah ...