The Highly Speculative, Unofficial John Edwards Rumor Mill

Now that John Edwards has opened the floodgates by admitting to having had an affair with loopy, ambitious New Age kook Rielle Hunter sometime between 2006 and 2007 (though he's still lying about other things, including when he and Hunter got together), and Elisabeth Edwards has agreed to take her husband's speaking role at the upcoming Democratic convention, it's clear that this thing is going to remain in the public spotlight for the near future. (At least until the paternity of Hunter's daughter is legitimately established, which it by no means is as Hunter won't take a paternity test, even though she's publicly stated that the baby is Andrew Young's.)

In trying to separate fact from fiction in this ordeal, we've heard a number of interesting, crazy, totally unsubstantiated rumors. They're probably just that—rumors—but they're certainly out there, and have been passed to us by reputable sources. (Though the sources wholly acknowledge that the people they've heard them from are quite possibly insane.) Here are the two best ones we've heard: