The Secret Life of Barack Hussein Obama is nearing its third month in print.

The Secret Life of Barack Hussein Obama was released on October 25, 2011 by Threshold Editions, a division of Simon & Schuster, and explores the many aspects of the President’s life that remain unreported–or under-reported–by the the American Corporate Media.

Written by Mondo Frazier, Secret Life of Barack Hussein Obama is packed full of facts that most likely won’t make the president’s next autobiography.

The book is available in both hardcover and e-book at hundreds of locations worldwide, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, iTunes and better bookstores across the USA.

More information:
* Secret Lives
* Who is Barack Obama?
* Revealing Obama’s Secret Agenda
* EXPOSED! OBAMA’s SECRET LIFE
* Book Review: The Secret Life Of Barack Hussein Obama by Mondo Frazier
* THE SECRET LIFE OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ☭
* Book Review: “The Secret Life of Barack Hussein Obama” by Mondo Frazier

Frazier writes daily at DBKP – Death By 1000 Papercuts.

February 13, 2011
TODAY @ DBKP

http://deathby1000papercuts.com

* Day by Day: Put it in Reverse

* Today in Weird History: February 13, 2011

* Hope N Change: Crowd Control

* Ron Paul Takes CPAC Straw Poll for Second Year

* Elizabeth Taylor: She’s in God’s Hands

* Madness in the UK: Villagers Incensed Over Police Order to Remove Metal Mesh From Shed Windows

* DC Lobbyist Car Fire Death Still A Mystery After Medical Examiner Report

* Tom Cruise, Scientology: The Bad PR of Slave Labor Investigations

* Obama Nation: Listen to Your Betters

* Dan’s Daily Cartoons: Hungry Creative Dog

* Diversity Lane: Smoke Gets in Your Brain

* Senator Medler: Twilite Zone

* Electric Drag Racing with John Wayland and White Zombie

* Guns and Weed Movie Trailer: Video

* Obama’s Egypt Policy and Mubarak: Gone in 60 Seconds

by Mondo Frazier
image: dbkp file

Back to DBKP Front Page.

WHAT DID READERS THINK OF RIELLE HUNTER’S GQ INTERVIEW?
DID HUNTER CHANGE HER IMAGE?

2010 Rielle Hunter Mistress Rehab Media Tour Continues

Former mistress and current media manipulator, Rielle Hunter, has booked the second leg of her Image Rehab Tour on Oprah the first week of May. But how was her first stop received? What did readers think of her infamous 10-page GQ interview?

Did Rielle Hunter change any minds out there? We were curious, so we went looking.

But first, a bit of history, for those coming late to the story.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’s Jeff Labrecque has the conventional wisdom on John Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter’s Magical Mistress Make-Over Tour.

Now that Edwards’ political career is kaput, do we really need to grant Hunter a showcase for her version of the tawdry details?

Fair or not, is there anything Hunter can tell Oprah that will improve her public image? Do you even want to hear what she has to say? Will you watch?

That seems to the take from both the Left and Right. Hunter seems to be a lot like medicine: you can only take her in very small doses. The correct dosage for Rielle seems to be smaller than she’s willing to provide.

One can only image what Hunter would be doing today instead of doing Oprah had the media chose to cover the affair back when it was relevant in 2007-08.

If the story had been covered from the beginning, Edwards would have bowed out and the soap opera that ensued would not have happened: No Enquirer chasing Edwards around the Beverly Hilton, no tortured non-denial denials, no Nightline lies and drama.

Rielle Hunter would be at best Old News–or no news at all.

No doubt Hunter would be proposing some type of reality show which featured the appearance of her daughter, Frances Quinn. Quinn is the only thing that makes Hunter palatable in print or TV.

And she knows it.

Hence any media must make the trek to Charlotte, NC to interview her at her home–where conveniently, FQ also resides. Frances Q. becomes a topic of conversation during the interview–thus lifting the focus, if for only a few moments–from the frothy narcissism-cum-Eastern mystical cluelessness that makes up Hunter’s persona.

If the EPA regulated auras, there’d be a TOXIC DO NOT ENTER sign nailed to Hunter’s forehead.

But enough. What do readers think?

Q: HOW DO PEOPLE SEE RIELLE HUNTER?
Q: HOW DOES RIELLE HUNTER SEE HERSELF?
A: THEY’RE A UNIVERSE APART

Here’s some comments from the GQ interview itself. These are representative. After combing through pages, no positive comments on Rielle Hunter were found.

Rielle Hunter seems to be the Richard Nixon of mistresses.

But that’s not an exact parallel: Nixon had his foreign policy admirers.

On to the comments.

BTW, Zara, you mentioned a comparison to Camilla Parker Bowles and I must respectfully disagree. 1. Camilla kept her mouth shut. She never once gave a tell-all interview even after they married. 2. Unlike Johnny & Ms. New Age Hunter, I believe Charles and Camilla clearly loved each other and had a relationship that went far beyond sex. 3. Camilla actually had a means to support herself other than living off a man. (She was heiress to a property development fortune from a grandfather, but even before that, she actually WORKED.) 4. Lastly, Charles actually married Camilla whereas I think there is a better chance of Johnny Boy being elected to public office again than ever marrying this woman.
–KimL

“You can’t help you fall in love with? BULL. SHIP. Yes you can. You stay away, simple as that. Just because you don’t want to and don’t think its fair blah blah blah doesn’t mean you CAN’T. This woman is like a deluded 15 year old trying to convince herself that it was something magical and special because she knows she did a despicable thing, but if she can convince herself (and everyone else) that it was LOVE and DESTINY and whatever other SPIRITUAL TRUTH crap she wants to spew, then it doesn’t seem so bad. And if that crap was the FACTUAL TRUTH then would he have really denied it and denied her and lied and whatever else? And did the author really call her smart? Because how smart can she be if she sits there and acknowledges all his deliberate and elaborate and intentional lies, and then say she “knows” he would never lie to her? It kills me that these women get this attention. Clearly I am a fool for going to college and having a job instead of just making a career out of being a slut. BLAH.”
–Kross

Well, kids, we haven’t heard the last of Rielle Hunter. CNN reported today that Oprah is going to interview her. While I wish Oprah would not have agreed to this since it is clear Hunter craves attention, I doubt this is going to be any softball interview. She had Andrew Young on a few months ago and did nothing to hide her disgust over John making that sex tape and lying repeatedly to Elizabeth. Oprah is a helluva lot smarter than Hunter, so it will be interesting to see this!
–KimL

Read the rest at DBKP: Rielle Hunter Comments: Mistress Image Rehab Tour Not Doing Well

THE FIRST STEP TO REPEAL:
WIN the HOUSE, DEFUND OBAMACARE

OBAMACARE HAS MORE IN COMMON WITH PROHIBITON
THAN SOCIAL SECURITY and MEDICARE

A lively debate ensued yesterday on whether it’s possible/probable to repeal ObamaCare.

It most certainly is, and readers only have to look at the past to find where Americans repealed another highly-unpopular program that was rammed down their throats by those who thought that Government Knows Best: Prohibition.

The talk of repealing ObamaCare was everywhere in the blogosphere. A quick round-up:

* Michele Bachmann, Big Government: We Must Repeal this Bill!

* Bill Whittle, PajamasMedia: FREE WILL AND DESTINY

* Bill Kristol, Weekly Standard: Special Editorial: Repeal

* Jeffrey H. Anderson, The Corner: The Battle Is Lost, and the War Has Begun

* Ace, AofSHQ: We Can Repeal This

* Paul Hsieh, PajamasMedia: ObamaCare: The Coming Battles

Many commentators–some on the Left, some on the Right–insist that once a historic action (entitlement) is taken, it’s impossible to reverse. Which calls into question how we got rid of the whole repealing Prohibition thing.

Believe it or not, this is the proper comparison of ObamaCare: not Social Security, not Medicare. ObamaCare has more in common with Prohibition.

* Both ObamaCare and Prohibition are “noble experiments” which attempt to regulate personal human behavior by an unwieldy, gargantuan federal apparatus. In fact, Prohibition was known as the “Noble Experiment.”

* Both programs are highly-unpopular with a majority of the population.

* Both programs were promulgated by those who thought that government was smarter than ordinary Americans.

* Both programs are examples of the government’s “forcing you to do something you’d rather not do for your own good” philosophy.

It took a Constitutional amendment to make Prohibition the law of the land. While Nancy Pelosi might insist that the unprecedented government power grabs against its citizens are totally Constitutional (“Are you serious?”), we’ll see.

Read the rest: 5-Step Repeal Plan: ObamaCare is More Like Prohibition than Social Security at DBKP.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RIELLE!
46 YEARS OLD; HOW MANY ‘TALL TALES’?

A reality check is probably something that the mother of John Edwards’ love child, Frances Quinn, would agree is a good thing.

John Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter, has come back into the public eye.

And boy, did the public ever get an eyeful.

Hunter did double duty this week in a GQ exclusive interview, Hello America, My Name is Rielle Hunter: readers not only got a bellyful of who Rielle Hunter says she is, but also got an eyeful of a pantless Hunter frolicking about on a bed. The pix showed Rielle and her fan-blown hair using her daughter’s toys, pearls and even little Frances Quinn as props–and little else.

The pearls were a nice touch for the former and current child of privilege.

The interview is a two-fer: a look at Hunter in her own words; and, another look at the pix that Hunter later told Barbara Walters “caused her to cry for two hours” after seeing them.

Gotta love a two-fer.

Previously, her nemesis, The National Enquirer, had reported that she had asked “Johnny” Edwards for almost $18,000 a month for child support.

From the look of the GQ pix, not much of that money has been spent on her clothing budget.

In honor of Rielle Hunter’s birthday–the mistress turns 46 on Saturday, March 20–we’ve decided to take a look at her statements in the GQ interview to see if we could find 46 “Rielle Tall Tales.” After all, “truthteller” Hunter is on the record with several statements–of which almost every sentence is a fairy tale.

How many versions of the Rielle truth will we find? Will we actually get to 46?

Let’s find out.

HAPPY 46th BIRTHDAY, RIELLE HUNTER

[Read the entire article at DBKP: Rielle Hunter GQ Interview: The Many Versions of the Rielle Truth]

A RIELLE REALITY CHECK

1. I could have cashed out big. But that’s not what I’m about.

“Could have cashed out big, but that’s not what I’m about?!?” I guess garnering somewhere between $10,000/month (what Edwards originally offered her) and almost $18,000/month (what Hunter requested) in child support isn’t cashing out big.

A lot of single mothers–with no other visible means of support and some rusty job skills (Hunter hasn’t worked outside of her “Johnny gig” for over four years)–would consider $120,000-205,000/year “cashing out.”

2. He’s very supportive of me talking now. He [Johnny] believes that it’s something that will help me be at peace with it. And he knows how important truth is to me. Factual truth as well as spiritual truth.

We all know how important the truth is to Rielle Hunter. Here’s Hunter’s statement released on October 11, 2007.

“The innuendoes and lies that have appeared on the internet and in the National Enquirer concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous.

My video production company was hired by the Edwards camp on a 6 month contract, which we completed December 31, 2006.

When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct as well as the conduct of my entire team was completely professional.

This concocted story is just dirty politics and I want no part of it.”

The second sentence in the statement is arguably the truth–we’re not sure, because Newsweek’s Jonathan Darman reported in August 2008 that Hunter had told him that she was fired from the campaign by Elizabeth Edwards. That’s certainly one way of “completing” a contract.

The rest is a complete fabrication.

Unless Hunter classifies the making of a sex tape (which she herself in her court documents insists was made during September 2006) starring Edwards and herself as “completely professional” conduct.

3. I met him on a street corner. [laughs] A lot has been written that I met him inside the Regency [hotel in New York City], that I walked over to his table. That is all 100 percent fiction.

Let’s see, we have former Edwards’ aide Josh Brumberger’s account, which contradicts Hunter. As does Andrew Young’s account, which he says he learned from Hunter, which contradicts Rielle’s GQ version of events. Oh, and Jonathan Darman’s December 2006 account of their meeting, which he presumably got from Hunter herself when the two were flying about on the campaign plane in July 2006. And Darman again in 2008. That’s three (we’ll only count Darman as one) right off the bat–but wait, there’s more!

There’s Hunter herself, from this February 2007 interview with Extra:

“He was in a business meeting in New York and I was in the same place.”

Unless Edwards was holding his business meeting on the street corner–after all, Edwards did run as on a poverty platform–her latest account doesn’t jive.

That makes it four-to-one against Hunter’s GQ spin. So do we believe Hunter 2007′s account–or Hunter’s latest version? We have more sources who say “met in bar,” but we don’t need them here. Still, we’ll let the readers decide.

4. Did you know who he [Edwards] was? I did not know who he was.

Even Lisa DePaulo, the GQ interviewer finds this a bit hard to swallow. So she tries again.

Really?
I did not. The John Edwards I saw in 2004 on TV I believed to be a disconnected, two-dimensional-geek kind of guy. And the man sitting across the room was not that at all.

Ohhhh. Rielle didn’t know the “real” John Edwards. I guess that’s what she was talking about.

5. Why do you think he loves you?
Um… How do I answer that? [long pause] I mean, I could give so many answers. I could give a spiritual answer, that I reflect back to him large parts of himself that were unconscious. Like, he’s a huge, huge humanitarian. He is very kindhearted and sweet. He’s very honest and truthful. And all of that was hidden.

The part about Edwards being honest and truthful? It was especially well-hidden. Buried, actually.

It remains hidden to this day–except whenever “Johnny” is forced by events beyond his control to admit to something else about the affair and cover-up.

One. Word. At. A. Time. Whenever. Someone. Nails. Him. On. Something.

The greatest thing about being a New Age solipsist chick is that there’s so many neat ways to dress up “denial.” It’s almost like a game.

Playing hide-and-seek with the truth.

6. He [Edwards] is integrated. He is living a life of truth.

Translation, courtesy of the National Enquirer. Integrated = Terrified (at being indicted by a grand jury). Part of Edwards’ “life of truth” was on display in January, when he admitted almost two years after Frances Quinn was born, that she was his daughter.

After repeatedly denying that he was her father.

In public.

On national TV.

Maybe Hunter is referring to his life of truth as having begun from that point 50 days ago? Or maybe she knows that Edwards is going to confess everything to the grand jury and set himself free with the truth. Maybe she’s referring to his “upcoming” life of truth? Readers will have to decide this one.

7. So I called him about a half hour later. And I got a voice mail in the room, so I hung up. Did not leave a message. Because I did not know what was appropriate. I knew he was married, and I didn’t know if his wife was with him, you know; I didn’t know what was appropriate. And this was not—there was no sexual intention here at all.

She didn’t know what was appropriate? Even though Hunter found Edwards “hot,” she had no sexual intentions? So, if either Hunter or Edwards had been packing some Emily Post, a lot of heartache for a lot of various family members–as well as Edwards himself–might have been avoided?

Even though this is another answer that DiPaulo can’t believe, it might be best to rest our case here.

8. So I hung up. And about ten minutes later, my cell phone rang. And I looked down, and I said to my friends, “What is this number?” One of my friends said, “That’s the Regency.” And I said, “He’s calling me back? I didn’t even leave a message. How is he calling me back?” And he, you know, star-69′ed or whatever the caller ID was. And he left me this message, “Hi. Call me. I really want to hear what you have to say.”

Martin Lewis, Huffington Post [John Edwards & Rielle Hunter: The First Big Lie], is ahead of the curve on this one. Let’s turn it over to him.

I just telephoned the Regency Hotel — where according to Rielle Hunter and multiple other accounts — John Edwards was staying the night they met and where she telephoned him.

I spoke to a very nice lady on the Front Desk. Juliet Bird. I inquired about the telephone facilities in the guest rooms. “Are the telephones at the Regency Hotel equipped with “caller ID” or “star-69″ facility?”

She told me that she had never been asked that particular question before and would need to check with a supervisor familiar with the hotel’s telephone system.

She checked. The answer was — as I suspected — no. Neither of those facilities, or anything like them, were available on the telephones in their guest rooms.

It’s easy to get that ‘star-69 thing’ confused.

Andrew Young’s version is more simplistic–but not nearly as fraught with cat-and-mouse romanticism.

Young says that Edwards gave Hunter the key card to his hotel room.

9. And I said to my friends, “I’m going over there [to Edwards' hotel room].” And it was funny, because they were like, “You cannot sleep with him! You cannot sleep with him, because you can help him!” And I said, “I am not going to sleep with him.”

Two out of three people in Hunter’s group almost instantly knew the real truth of what was about to transpire. Hint for those slow on the uptake: Hunter was the odd girl out.

But she was right about the part of it being “funny.”

10. I used to make a joke that I could have helped save the world, but I had to sleep with him. You know? It was kind of like that.

Actually, Edwards’ mistress is telling the truth here–in a roundabout way. After all, if she hadn’t slept with him, he might have been president. So maybe she did save the world as well as sleep with him.

What girl can resist a two-fer?

Read the rest at DBKP: Rielle Hunter GQ Interview: The Many Versions of the Rielle Truth

by Mondo Frazier
image credits at DBKP

THE JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL

John Edwards, he of the “Two Americas” campaign, has already offered up two confessions: one on August 8, 2008, when he confessed to an affair with Rielle Hunter; and, another on January 10, 2008, in which he confessed paternity of Frances Quinn Hunter–in direct contradiction to his earlier confession.

Are there still further confessions for Edwards to make?

Such as, how was Hunter’s living expenses–and they weren’t cheap, what with being flown by private jets across (and out of) the country–paid and what money was used to pay them?

DBKP is adding to its extensive timeline of the Edwards’ scandal and is inviting readers who came in contact with John Edwards, or any of the others involved in the Scandal, to share their personal accounts of all contacts they may have had; e.g., at book signings, town halls, campaign events, in hotels, at the grocery store, etc.

Readers’ accounts may be left in the comments section of this article or, if its preferred, sent by email to mondoreb@gmail.com.

While the information unveiled in two recent books–John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s Game Change and Andrew Young’s The Politician–have shed some light on a few of the details, we have reason to believe that some of those details still are fuzzy.

That’s why we’re asking for a little help from our readers. There’s still a grand jury out there and there’s still a bit of history to be written in the Scandal. We’re looking for help.

On many occasions throughout the Scandal, our readers have steered us in the right direction with a mix of tips, background information and investigative work.

It was a tip by one of our readers which informed us that Rielle Hunter was staying in a house owned by ex-NBA player, Eric Montross. The tip was checked out and proved valuable.

We are deeply thankful for our readers’ tips–and now appeal to readers to share any other contacts during the last five years with any of the principles in the Scandal.

Of course, we’ll keep all information as confidential as is desired by the tipster. Just indicate to us whether you want credit or not. Our default position is that we never reveal anything about our tipsters.

Thanks in advance and let’s see what we turn up!

by Mondo Frazier
image: DBKP file
Have a tip? Post a comment on our original article at DBKP: John Edwards Scandal: DBKP Once More Looking for Tipsters
Back to DBKP Front Page

Google stuff: Andrew Young, Cherie Young, John Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, scandal, affair, cover-up, The Politician, book, ABC, 20/20, interview, Rielle Hunter, Frances Quinn Hunter, lies, sex, tape, video, videotape, injunction, TV, Andrew Young, fake, paternity, test, DNA, testing,

Andrew, Cheri Young, ABC’s 20/20 interview with Bob Woodruff

In tonight’s ABC 20/20 Bob Woodruff interview with Andrew and Cheri Young, the Young’s will try to rehabilitate themselves as repentant loyalists of John Edwards who’ve seen the light and want to mend their ways. We claim otherwise based on the Young’s haven’t fully divulged how much profit they gleaned from their role in the affair and lovechild cover-up. The Young’s have been alleged trying to sell the infamous John Edwards-Rielle Hunter sex tape and photos downloaded from Hunter’s digital camera. Despite a court order issued yesterday by a North Carolina judge, the Young’s have refused to return the sex tape and photos and any copies they may have made to Rielle Hunter.

The John Edwards’ sordid public scandal saga, at least in regards to Andrew Young, began December 19, 2007, when Jerome Armstrong at MyDD.com published a statement from Young titled, Is This Really Happening?.

According to Armstrong-posted in the comments-he’d received the statement from Young’s attorney.

On October 11, Armstrong posted a statement from Rielle Hunter which Armstrong titled, “National Enquirer, Wonkette, bullshit bucket”.

The ABC 20/20 Bob Woodruff interview with Andrew and Cheri Young is set to roll out tonight while teaser promos have appeared all week on shows such as Inside Edition. Also in the news, various accounts of Young’s book. In the promo’s, Andrew and Cheri appear as victims, victimized by their loyalty to John Edwards. The Young’s loyalty for John Edwards came at a well-paid price: a purported real-estate deal, a renovation to the Young’s new home, as well as the Young’s payola for “babysitting” a pregnant and post-baby Hunter for a period of nine months. There’s also the Young’s “double-dipping”: Young’s John Edwards’ affair and lovechild tell-all, The Politician, as well as a scheme to sell a Rielle Hunter photos and a Rielle Hunter-John Edwards sex tape. A tape the Young’s claim Hunter left in the trash.

Continue reading: Andrew Young, John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Sex Tape: Sex, Lies, and Loyalty for Profit

HOW THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER PURSUED THE STORY OF JOHN EDWARDS
THE AFFAIR, THE SCANDAL and THE COVER-UP FOR 27 MONTHS

Should the National Enquirer get the Pulitzer Prize for its multi-year investigation of the John Edwards affair, scandal and cover-up? That’s been the question that’s been asked lately: in some cases, at the same Mainstream Media papers which participated in the news blackout of the Enquirer’s Edwards’ coverage.

Edwards, who had been Sen. John Kerry’s running mate in 2004, was one of the front-runners at the time the Enquirer broke the second installment of the story on December 18, 2007.

The Enquirer released a cornucopia of easily-verifiable information at that time: Rielle Hunter, a former Edwards campaign worker, was pregnant with what the Enquirer reported was Edwards’ love child; she had been moved to within five miles of the Edwards campaign headquarters in Chapel Hill, NC; Hunter was living an exclusive gated community, a few houses down the street from Edwards’ former Director of Finance, Andrew Young; and, she was driving around in a BMW registered to Young.

Although the Enquirer’s report contained unnamed sources who named Edwards as the father, there were certainly enough hard facts to make most people curious–unless you were a MSM reporter. Still, the Enquirer kept working the story in the face of a complete and utter cone of silence imposed by Big Media.

Although a few mid-size newspaper columnists wrote about Edwards after the Enquirer’s reporters cornered him leaving Hunter’s Beverly Hilton room on July 22, 2008, Big Media’s silence was finally broken on August 8, 2008, when Edwards ‘confessed’ to the nation on ABC’s Nightline.

But Edwards did not come clean; in fact, hours after the “confession”, he was ridiculed by DBKP[John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Continues Deception in Interview and John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Admits Affair, Lies, to ABC News].

In the latter article, we wrote, “In a coldly-calculated political move, John Edwards has now admitted that he had an affair, but did not father Rielle Hunter’s daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter.”

In the former:

“In a coldly-calculated political move, John Edwards has now admitted that he had an affair, but did not father Rielle Hunter’s daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter.”

A few short minutes after ABC announced that John Edwards admitted his affair with Rielle Hunter and was going to appear on Friday’s Nightline to talk about it, we wrote the words at the top of the page.

We also wrote then:

“The political calculus is: Edwards hopes that his admission of having an affair will allow the incident to blow over, allowing him to proceed with his political career.”

After reading Edwards’ statement, our immediate instincts were confirmed: John Edwards only came forward after he was cornered by the National Enquirer–which he repeatedly labeled “tabloid trash”–and a few in the traditional press were finally, after almost a year, beginning to take an interest. After watching Edwards’ Nightline appearance and examining the allegations he made in the interview, we’re convinced–and we’re not the only ones.

How do I deceive thee? Let me count the ways.”

Was John Edwards the “99% honest” man on Friday? At DBKP, we noticed one falsehood almost immediately, which was confirmed the next day. John Edwards said that his affair with Rielle Hunter ended in 2006. He said it three times in his statement, so it must have been an important point.

It was–and is.

It allows Edwards to claim he is not the father of Frances Quinn Hunter. We weren’t the only ones who noticed that point–and others, as well.

How many times did Edwards prevaricate in his statement and interview? We believe that it happened three times–it’s likely there’s more when the whole truth finally comes out.

In an article in Friday’s Wall Street Journal, David Perel confirmed what we wrote then.

Mr. Edwards had already shown us his willingness to lie in the face of overwhelming evidence. In July 2008, Mr. Edwards knew the Enquirer had him on video and he waited. Behind the scenes we sent him a message—deny the affair and we will release the video and prove you a liar. At the same time an ABC News investigative team pounded him.

When Mr. Edwards realized there was no way out, he tried to control the damage and decided to confess to the affair. He appeared on “Nightline” on Aug. 8, 2008, and admitted only to the affair, knowing the Enquirer had his meeting with Ms. Hunter on video. At points in the interview he offered ridiculous denials about paternity and the photo of him with his child.

It had taken 10 months for the Enquirer to prove Mr. Edwards affair, and once he confessed we knew it still wasn’t over. Paternity was the next issue. But again, Mr. Edwards would admit the truth only when it was absolutely necessary.

Edwards’ mendacity–and the Mainstream Media’s complicity–makes the number of pieces discussing the Pulitzer for the Enquirer somewhat surprising. Is this the mainstream press’ way of ‘doing penance’ for totally ignoring the story and helping cover it up until Edwards was no longer a factor?

We posed that question to Perel, who is the former editor in chief of the National Enquirer and directed its coverage of the John Edwards affair. Perel, now the head of RadarOnline, thought for a moment, then said, “I think it might be their way of saying, ‘That was a great little story.’

First, Newsweek named the Enquirer’s John Edwards story on its Decade’s Top Ten Lists of both Sex Scandals and Startling Scoops.

Then, Politics Daily’s Emily Miller wrote in Does the National Enquirer Deserve a Pulitzer for Breaking the John Edwards Scandal?:

The National Enquirer is a supermarket tabloid, but the time has come for the media elite to admit that it has an excellent investigative reporting team, which broke the biggest political scandal of 2009, the John Edwards affair.

While its own editor concedes that the paper would never be given a Pulitzer Prize — the jury is dominated by the newspaper establishment — I believe the time has come for us to recognize the Enquirer’s political investigative reporting.

Howard Kurtz even discussed the Pulitzer/Enquirer question in the Washington Post–a paper which refused to report a word of the scandal when Edwards was a presidential candidate or being considered for a high-level post in the Obama administration, most likely attorney general.

Not all of the Pulitzer talk is positive; New York’s Adam K. Raymond dismissed the idea.

One problem with The Enquirer’s dream of winning a Pulitzer, as Howard Kurtz notices, is that most of its significant reporting on the story happened in 2007 and 2008 and this year’s Pulitzers will honor work done in 2009. Another problem is that it’s The National Enquirer.

Continue reading: What Does the National Enquirer Have to Do to Deserve a Pulitzer Prize?

by Mondo Frazier
images: DBKP file

Simon Barney Files for Divorce

It’s official, Real Housewives of Orange County couple Tamra and Simon Barney have split up. It was Simon who filed for a divorce due to irreconcilable differences, but the real shocker, last night’s episode may have been the final straw for Simon and, that Simon states in the divorce papers Tamra was verbally abusive, and, has “committed acts of disloyalty and infidelity”.

Barney Divorce Documents

Even curiouser, Simon’s latest post on his blog at the Bravo TV, Real Housewives of Orange County website. The post is dated the same day as when the divorce papers were filed and while Simon never actually mentions divorce-he called his post, “Drifting Apart”-Simon’s wording is filled with rich subtext beginning with the very first sentence:

“I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and have a great New Year. I know the kids and I did.”

After not including Tamra, Simon wrote about Vicki and Donn “rekindling their marriage” then added this:

“I have to say I shed a tear when Vicki brought out the picture album at dinner. You see, I’ve been with Donn when he has been upset and heartbroken over his marriage. So it was especially touching to my heart when Vicki reached out to him and showed him love. It would be nice to see all the wives do loving things for their husbands.”

Simon added this about Vicki and Tamra’s relationship and Tamra’s “behavior”:

Continue reading: Tamra Barney Divorce Shocker: Simon Files for Divorce, Pours Heart Out on Blog

by LBG
images: DBKP file

A quick look back at 2009′s most popular stories as determined by the readers. These are the stories that got the most hits during 2009.

Of the Top Ten stories:

* Six of the ten were actually published in 2008–but were read consistently through 2009. We only counted the number of hits these stories received in 2009 at DBKP’s main site. 2008 hits weren’t factored in.

Also hits on the same story from our other sites weren’t counted. One of the 2008 stories came out on December 31, so it might be considered a leaner.

* What types of stories made the 2009 list? Politics had three; Celebrities/Entertainment – four; News – one; Human interest/Feature – one; and Humor – one.

* Two of the stories weren’t published until December, but pulled in enough hits to make the list in the last 3 weeks of the year. These two stories helped make December our best month of the 2009, traffic-wise.

Also included at the end are 14 “near-misses” to the Top Ten list.

Thanks to all of our readers and writers for a great 2009. We had 1.33 million page views. This was down from 2008′s–an election year–1.88 million PVs.

2010 is gonna be a great year at DBKP.

Here’s our Top Ten most popular stories of 2009.

• 10. Obama Birth Certificate Federal Lawsuit: Updates, News and Reactions Oct 10, 2008.

  Updates to the Philip Berg federal lawsuit over Barack Obama’s constitutionality to serve as president. The suit was dismissed for Berg’s lack of standing.

• 9. Austrian Father Who Locked Sex Slave Daughter in Basement for 24 Yrs – New Details Emerge – April 28, 2008.

  “More details have emerged in the story coming out of Amstettin, Austria, of the father who now admits he locked his daughter in the dungeon like basement of his home for 24 years and that he committed “incest” with her.”

• 8. Hundreds Gather In the Snow to Protest Global Warming Dec 19, 2009

  “The real victims of global warming” are largely forgotten. Sad.

• 7. Slade Smiley, Gretchen Rossi: Real Housewives of Orange County’s Jetsetting Deadbeat Dad? – Nov 5, 2009
  

  Who pays for school? That would be me, Daddy Warbucks. I want a sugar mama.”
  –Slade Smiley, March 10, 2008, Bravo survey posted on Slade Smiley’s MySpace page

  It’s Season Five of the Real Housewives of Orange County and it looks as if one of the former reality “stars” of the show is set to make a reappearance. As we’ve yet to see the newest installments, we’re not quite sure in what form Slade Smiley will reappear: Gretchen Rossi’s “good” friend, new boyfriend, or Gretchen’s new “manager”.

• 6. Sarah Palin Quotes: Twenty-Five Memorable Quotes from Her RNC Speech Sept 4, 2008
  

  “The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”
  –Sarah Palin, RNC Speech

• 5. Amazing Hand Fabricated Aluminum Corsair and P51 Mustang Aluminum Model Airplanes – Dec 7, 2009

  Truly amazing!! Talk about dedication, craftsmanship and patience……….WOW!!
  –Rides a Pale Horse

• 4. Real Housewives of Orange County Update: Gretchen Gets Smiley with Slade, Bravo Awards and Casting Calls – April 8, 2009
  

  For those with Real Housewives of Orange County withdrawal symptoms, it’s casting calls for new housewives next season, who was nominated as “Reality’s Guiltiest Pleasure” at Bravo’s A-List awards, and who’s Gretchen Rossi’s new squeeze. Plus, some the “sordid” details the OC housewives kept hidden from viewers while opting to publicly cast aspersions on Gretchen.

• 3. Jeanette Jenkins, Queen Latifah: Celebrity Gay Marriage Announced – June 10, 2008
  

  It didn’t take long for the California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Golden State’s ban on gay marriage to alter the celebrity matrimonial landscape.

• 2. Hostage Negotiations: Chinese-Style – March 12, 2008

  “Chinese Hostage Negotiations: A Recent Case Study”
  –RidesAPaleHorse

• 1. Real Housewives of Orange County: Gretchen’s Tragedy and Glass Houses – Dec 31, 2008
  

  It’s season four of Real Housewives of Orange County with two new additions: 30-yr-old Gretchen Rossi and Lynne Curtain, age unknown. Curtain replaced Lauri Waring Peterson after Peterson opted to drop out of the show when her son was arrested for drug possession.

The near misses (in no particular order) were:

* Four Famous Cult Leaders, Four Different Fates April 20 08
* Casey Anthony Case: The Curious Coincidence of the Heart Shaped Sticker at the Crime Scene and the Heart Photoshopped on Caylee’s Photo – Jan 22 09
* Illegal Immigration Amnesty Bill: Illegals to Qualify for In-State Tuition, Free Attorneys, No Backgrounds Checks, and Permanent Visas – March 19 09
* The Modern Militia Movement Report: Libertarians, Ron Paul Supporters as Potential Domestic Terrorists – March 15 09
* Navy Seal Sharpshooter Pirate Blaster Gun, Mark 11 Model 0, Wins over Army – April 19 09
* Diane Downs, Small Sacrifices Murder Mom, up For Parole – Dec 9 09
* British Dogging It: UK OK with Public Gay Sex – Dec 4 08
* H1N1: Police Hold Down WV Boy During Forced Swine Flu Vaccination – Nov 11 09
* Obama, Bill Ayers, and FactCheck.Org: All Have Ties To Annenberg Foundation -Oct 6 08
* Tiger Woods 4th Mistress: Jaime Jungers and Waiting for Number 5 – Dec 6 09
* April 1st Tax Payer Protest Plans to Send Single Tea Bag to Washington, D.C. – March 11 09
* 1950’s Women’s Lingerie: Girded in Girdles and Armed with Bullet Bras – May 3 09
* Jennifer Moss: The Naked Lady Pictures and Videos – June 18 09
* War on Terror: Marines See Success Implanting Patriot Microchip in Terrorists – July 28 08

It will be interesting to see if any of these are on the 2010 list.

compiled by Mondo
image: DBKP file