Former supporter criticizes Edwards

It's not just Jay Leno and the other late-night talk show hosts who are taking shots at former Sen. John Edwards.

Edwards' confession to an extramarital affair drew a mocking review from one of his former strategists, who called Edwards' "Nightline" interview "breathtakingly cynical."

Posting Wednesday on his Talking About Politics blog, Democrat Gary Pearce called Edwards' confession "a spectacular failure," raising more questions than it answered about the relationship of the former senator and presidential candidate with videographer Rielle Hunter.

"The more he talked, the deeper he dug the hole," wrote Pearce, Edwards' former campaign manager for his 1998 U.S. Senate race.

On Aug. 8, Edwards gave an interview to ABC's Bob Woodruff in which he said he had had an affair with Hunter, who had worked for his campaign. Edwards' appearance came after a series of National Enquirer stories.

The Enquirer has asserted in recent stories that Edwards is the father of Hunter's daughter, who was born Feb. 27. Edwards said in the ABC interview that he was not the father and would submit to a paternity test. But a day later, a lawyer for Hunter said she would not make her daughter available for the test.

Edwards has not spoken publicly since the interview Friday. Meantime, the Enquirer has been joined by traditional outlets as well as entertainment news programs in pursuing the story.

Given Edwards' performance in his ABC interview, Pearce wrote, the former senator no longer gets the benefit of the doubt. "Earth to John: The National Enquirer now officially has more credibility than you do," Pearce wrote.

Contacted Thursday, Pearce said many Democrats in Raleigh feel angry, betrayed and embarrassed by Edwards.

"People gave up time and volunteered for him," Pearce said. "They're the angriest."

Since posting to his blog Wednesday, Pearce said he has gotten only positive responses.

In Chapel Hill, the UNC think tank that once provided John Edwards a platform to discuss poverty issues is not counting on him to return to the fold.

The University of North Carolina Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity was started in 2005, and Edwards served as its director until he resigned at the end of 2006 to begin his second run for the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

"I don't think there has been an intentional distancing as a result of this. It was already expected that he would not be returning to the center," said Katie Bowler, assistant dean for communications for the UNC law school.

Edwards' disclosure about the affair has had no effect on contributions or grants to the nonpartisan center, Bowler said.