National Enquirer Releases Edwards Photos

They are fuzzy and as Ed notes, there are some issue with them but the NE released the picture below of what is allegedly John Edwards holding his alleged baby in the Beverly Hills hotel room of Rielle Hunter:

It's not quite the slam-dunk evidence the NE had us believe they had and it is presented with typical tabloid splash but it is pretty convincing that it is indeed Edwards.

That said, why has he not addressed this issue in a forthright manner? There's only two possible reasons; a) he innocent and believes he is above this and doesn't have to explain himself to anyone, or b) he's guilty as hell and knows it will come out in due time and to claim innocence when he's not would make things infinitely worse. Think Bill Clinton's infamous "I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky" lie.

I'm guessing it's the latter.

This story is going to break and Sen. Obama best hope it's after the Denver convention. That doesn't seem to be a great strategy as the story is breaking through the media collusion to contain it:

“He absolutely does have to (resolve it). If it’s not true, he has to issue a stronger denial,” said Gary Pearce, the Democratic strategist who ran Edwards’ 1998 Senate race. “It’s a very damaging thing. ...

“The big media has tried to be responsible and handle this with kid gloves, but it’s clearly getting ready to bust out. If it’s not true, he’s got to stand up and say, ’This is not true. That is not my child and I’m going to take legal action against the people who are spreading these lies.’ It’s not enough to say, ’That’s tabloid trash,’“ Pearce said.

Again, the fact he has not even partially confronted this says more than any words.

This is too juicy for the media to ignore for much longer: a former VP candidate and two-time presidential candidate who received glowing media coverage has a child with a woman who is not his wife while his wife suffers from cancer. The wife also was trotted out to defend the candidate and a portion of his campaign was centered around the tribulations of his ailing wife. Americans can understand this a hell of a lot easier than his "two Americas" rhetoric and will want to read every salacious detail because we love scandal in the US.

Instead of "two Americas," it appears we have the two lives of John Edwards and they're about to collide in stunning fashion.

Update: Read Ann for more.