Understatement of the Year

First, the back story:

During the latest episode of the battle over a sex tape showing ex-presidential candidate John Edwards being less than presidential, Judge Carl Fox stopped with a quizzical look.

Rielle Hunter, a campaign videographer with whom Edwards had an extramarital affair and a child, claims the tape is hers and wants it back from Andrew Young, the former Edwards aide who wrote a tell-all book about the politician’s quest for the White House.

At a hearing in Orange County Superior Court on Wednesday, lawyers for Young argued that Hunter had no claim to it. They contended the video belonged to the Edwards campaign or his political action committee.

“What possible purpose would a campaign want – or desire for – a sex tape of a candidate involved in a sex act?” Fox asked rhetorically.

First of all, I love that there will forever be court records with that question in there. That should go down in the history of great political quotes. But, now for the understatement of the year:

“The campaign did not want some tapes that would upset Elizabeth Edwards,” said Wade Barber, the lawyer from Pittsboro on Hunter’s legal team.

Just because the campaign paid for them and didn’t want to use them in the Edwards for President commercials at the time doesn’t mean they don’t belong to the campaign. I mean, come on, you never know when having your lover film you in a sex act while cheating on your dying wife will be just the thing to rekindle a political career.