John Edwards Cut 'I Lied' From Confession

John Edwards watered down the self-criticism in his recent admission of paternity, says the disillusioned former speechwriter who helped him write his confession. "It was very different compared to the one he and I had worked on over the summer," writes Wendy Button. "Gone were the words 'I lied.' The humble apology he had written was turned into the empty phrase, 'these words will never be enough.'"

Button reflects on the fallout in a lengthy piece in the Huffington Post. "I hope it will show another side to this mess—former staffers who feel a complicated mix of anger, disgust, and sorrow." She doesn't begrudge Andrew Young for his tell-all and praises his "willingness to speak truth to power." But "for the hundreds of us who didn't repair sex tapes with scotch tape, the truth and the details of John's mess, they break our hearts all over again." (More John Edwards stories.)