Did BHO play hide the salami with Vera Baker, or did The Enquirer pillage their medicine cabinet again?

By Pablo Fanque
All This Is That National Affairs Editor

The story of an alleged Barack Obama affair is based on unconfirmed allegations and the flimsiest possible whisperings.  As you know, however, The Enquirer has broken other unlikely/unbelievable stories in recent years; we're hoping they jumped the gun this time.   It's not a new story; let's face it, it's not even a news story. . .but it's breaking wider this time around. 

Earlier incarnations of the story were usually brushed aside as the ravings or deliberate disinformation of deranged bloggers.  However--and how times have changed!--the Enquirer picking up the story almost grants their (rather dubious)  imprimatur to the rest of the press.  Or at least the rest of the press willing to go way out on a limb.

The story alleged that BHO was caught in a Washington, D.C. Hotel with a former campaign aide, Vera Baker.  Baker was the Finance Director for Barack Obama's 2004 Illinois Senate campaign

The Enquirer writes:  "A confidential investigation has learned that Obama first became close to gorgeous 35 year-old VERA BAKER in 2004 when she worked tirelessly to get him elected to the US Senate, raising millions in campaign contributions."

Interestingly, the Wikipedia has an article on her under consideration for deletion.  There are numerous pictures floating around on websites and blogs that may or may not be Vera Baker.  By all reports, she is a good looking woman, for whatever that's worth.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard to track down--she was an Obama campaign official in 2004. 

Investigators (not clear whose--Obamas?  The National Enquierers?) are searching for a hotel surveillance videotape.   According to The Enquirer, Baker has insisted in the past that "nothing happened" between them.  The magazine also reports that top anti-Obama operatives (could that be you Ex-Gov. Palin, tossing around your $12 million in royalties?) are offering more than $1 million to witnesses to reveal what they know about the alleged hush-hush affair.

Someone has apparently offered cash to a limo driver who says that he took Vera to a secret hotel rendezvous in a Washington hotel where Obama was staying in 2004.   "A reporter confirmed the limo driver's account of the secret 2004 rendezvous and has also learned that on-site hotel surveillance video camera footage could provide indisputable evidence to the investigation."

Sandrarose.com claims "the Hillary Clinton campaign dug up background information on Barack Obama’s mistress, Vera Baker, in 2008, but decided not to run with the scandal — probably because Hillary knew she would lose the campaign and might need a favor from Obama later on."

Another blogspot blogger writes that "the woman was purportedly sidelined from her duties after Senator Obama’s wife, Michelle, became convinced that he had developed a personal friendship with her."

Without any new, concrete evidence, it seems like this story is destined to fade away quickly, just as it has when it has appeared before in the fringe press, or, new media as they prefer to be called.

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John Edwards to take DNA Test in hopes of tamping down baby mama story?

John Edwards and his alleged girlfriend/baby mama Rielly Hunter

This John Edwards-Rielle Hunter love child matter keeps simmering, and spattering, on the back burner. There isn't enough evidence for the mainstream media to do much with the story, but the Republican and Neocon and tabloid blogs make up for their caution. Senator, how will you put this to rest without taking a DNA test, and maybe then slapping the National Enquirer with a big defamation suit that you could even prosecute yourself, After all,
win, lose, or draw on the love-child allegations. . .your goose is cooked, politically. . .no matter how it turns out in the end. In short, you have nothing to lose, Senator Edwards.

The evidence is shaky enough that The Wikipedia won't even let people edit a John Edwards article. And it has had some edits these last couple of weeks, you can bet on that.


click to enlarge

I don't see any way around a DNA test. John Edwards already said he didn't do it. Rielle said he didn't do it. Andrew Young said he is the father. And the story keeps circulating. The story seems so improbable, and his early denunciations so vehement that you had to guess that there was nothing there (but then how many politicians--except Elliott Spitzer--'fess up right away? On the other hand, the National Enquirer did find him in a Los Angeles Hotel, skulking around at 2:45 AM, and even hiding in the bathroom...and this is from an impartial, Non-Enquirer worker at the hotel. We have yet to see a photo or video however.

Three weeks ago, he was bandied about in the mainstream media as a strong VP candidate, and if not the VP, then Attorney General. We haven't heard any more about that lately. This has to put Obama in something of a pickle too.

John Edwards, this silence thing is not working very well for you. It's time to go to the mats and fight the story, or to drop your ambitions and walk away from it forever. If the story is true, you are lower than a snake's sphincter, and if it's false then you deserve to make life miserable for your false accusers. It's one or the other now; the story isn't going away.

It just struck me that if Andrew Young is the father, and the child has now been born, wouldn't a photo possibly clear this up (or put the lie to the Young paternity story)? Andrew Young is African-American, after all, and wouldn't that at least give some credence to the story...whichever way you are swinging with it?
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The John Edwards-Rielle Hunter "love child" story bubbles along with no new facts or information

These political scandal stories sometimes leave you wanting more...or at least quick resolution. More in this case means to either excoriate The National Enquirer for irresponsible mud-slinging, or, alas, to write off John Edwards politically, for good.

When the "story" first broke late last year, people wrote off Edwards's presidential campaign. But, then, the story faded away rapidly. Now, with the National Enquirer alleging to have caught him red-handed with the mother of the purported love child, Rielle Hunter, at an LA hotel, the story exploded into national news once again, with the conservative press, talk shows, and republican bloggers fanning the flames. But. once again, the National Enquirer seems to be hanging fire, and have printed or said nothing new since their bombshell late last week.

There has been some follow up, like this piece on foxnews.com, "A Beverly Hills hotel security guard told FOXNews.com he intervened this week between a man he identified as former Sen. John Edwards and tabloid reporters who chased down the former presidential hopeful after what they're calling a rendezvous with his mistress and love child.


"It's not my baby." "It's not his baby."

"The Beverly Hilton Hotel guard said he encountered a shaken and ashen-faced Edwards — whom he did not immediately recognize — in a hotel men's room early Tuesday morning in a literal tug-of-war with reporters on the other side of the door."

Numerous news outlets have reiterated that good Edwards friend, and former Clinton Administration cabinet member, Andrew Young claims paternity of the alleged Edwards and Rielle Hunter love child. However a lot of people don't seem to believe that story....

Google News lists about 68 stories on this one (but incredibly not All This Is That's editorial piece). For Rielle Hunter's part, she maintains, as does Young himself, that Andrew Young is the father of the child.
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Does the paternity of Rielle Hunter's baby determine our next Attorney General?

Rielle Hunter

Well, even the National Enquirer is right sometimes, although I hope not in this case. I have been looking forward to John Edwards as Attorney General. If he has been caught with his pants down like this, I suspect we'll know the truth in a couple of days. If this affair and baby are true, how long did he really think he could pull the wool over our eyes? I dunno...he's just seems too smart to be this stupid.
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The Enquirer John Edwards Affair Story...

A link to the love-child story above...

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John Edwards caught in an affair/"love child" scandal?

This is a mindf**ker of all mindf**kers, to quote John Sebastian at Woodstock. John Edwards, close to the last person of either party I would have pegged, seems to be caught up in a "love child" scandal.

The Drudge Report reported this late Tuesday (but Drudge's developing story has been taken down). In short, The National Enquirer *seems* to be about to break a story on John Edwards having an affair and now, apparently impregnating his paramour, who has either come forth, or whose friends have now leaked (or sold!) the story to the National Enquirer. Sure, it is a P.O.S. periodical, but on the other hand, they have broken a lot of real scandal news (along with Matt Drudge) over the last few years.

The story, as I understand it, will appear in the National Enquirer print edition (and their website) tomorrow. It seems to have appeared earlier today on Drudge, but I can't tell, since their story, too, is now a dead link.

Drudge now has a link that goes to a dead Enquirer page. If Matt Drudge has backed off from the story, he was either hectored with the threat of a King-hell lawsuit, or he had doubts about the story himself. And if Matt Drudge has doubts about the story, it has to be pretty flimsy.



According to ogpaper.com: "The National Enquirer is brewing the latest political scandal, John Edwards accused of having a love child."

"The National Enquirer is like an alligator - once the jaws lock, there is no way out. Earlier this year the NE reported on John Edwards and his affair with an unnamed woman from his campaign (follow the links below to read that story). Now, the latest John Edwards scandal - a love child. According to reports, the John Edwards love child scandal will run as part of the front cover of the National Enquirer on Wednesday, the picture was found on the Drudge Report. According to the cover, a woman is pregnant with John Edwards baby and is hiding. The story has not been confirmed or denied by the National Enquirer yet, watch for the magazine tomorrow and keep an eye on further developments in the John Edwards love child scandal. "

I did snag the bitmap above online, but have no way to determine its veracity in this paucity of information. It may be a spoof, or a mockup, or the real thing, of tomorrow's National Enquirer.

You may remember, I always thought both John Edwards and Mitt Romney would surge ahead from their positions at 3rd place, or further back, in the pack. If these allegations have even a whiff of authenticity, we can expect John Edwards to bail out of this race like he was hopping in the first lifeboat off the Titantic. John may have been able to weather this one had it just been another tawdry affair. But Ex-Senator Edwards happens to be married to probably the best-loved spouse among all the G.O.P. and Democratic candidates (except for maybe Bill Clinton), who also happens to have incurable breast cancer. If he is guilty, he, naturally, deserves every bit of ignominy that has been and will be heaped, upon him. If he is just a victim of rumor mongering (as was his running mate John Kerry...remember the stories of the young woman he had a tempestuous affair with? They all turned out to be false), well, then, long may he run! I did support him for President previously, but not this time around, although I would have supported him had he become viable (which so far in this race, he never really has).

If you did have this affair, well then drop out ASAP John, and give a decent guy like Joe Biden a chance! And if you did have the affair, well, then you are a sub-human piece of dogsh*t, and I am embarrassed that I supported you in 200o and 2004.
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