After some highly publicized marital drama and a widely-reported bout with cancer, Mrs. Edwards passed away yesterday - after the cancer had invaded her liver, and doctors announced that there was really nothing left to try in terms of saving her life. Somehow. I always found Mrs. Edwards fascinating. I'm sure (as almost always happens) she'll likely be painted as saint-like, now that she's gone --- and from what I gather, she wasn't exactly that at all. She'll probably get labelled a "victim of a cheating louse of a husband", too. Well, technically that's true ~ but I don't think she'd like the idea of having the term 'victim' attached anywhere near her obituary. Elizabeth was sturdy, loyal, resilient, smart, maternal, ambitious (in the abstract and by association, as it went)), on and on. She was the fierce and forgivably imperfect 'heart' that pounded just beside that dark hole of an alleged 'soul' that was her ex-husband: presidential wannabe John Edwards. For the record? I never 'hated' John Edwards and never really 'loved' his wife, as they were on the campaign trail, or after. I can say this, though. Ultimately, I had NO respect for Mr. Edwards. However, for his compromised-at-every-turn wife? Nothing but endless bunches of respect.

She was 61. Here's a nice article, in her honor, that I read this morning.

How very sad.

I don't really know anything about her, but like Gats, I have no respect for Mr. Edwards at all. I felt sorry for her when all the stuff surfaced about his affairs and love-child. May she rest in peace.