These days, whenever I see John Edwards’ smug face, I get nauseous. I actually used to feel a little barfy seeing John before the Rielle Hunter stuff even broke last year. I know a lot of people seemed to like him and his ideas at one point, but I’ve always found him to be too slick, too greasy, too phony. I was so disappointed when John Kerry picked Edwards for a running mate in 2004 – that alone, in my opinion, helped sink Sen. Kerry in the general.

As I follow the epic scandal of Rielle Hunter and John and Elizabeth Edwards, I find myself having very little sympathy for any parties. Elizabeth seemed to lay the blame for the affair almost entirely at Rielle Hunter’s feet, calling Rielle “pathetic” and all of that. Meanwhile John kept denying and denying that he was the father of Rielle’s daughter Frances. Last week’s the Enquirer’s cover story was the confirmation of what most of us have known in our hearts and our queasy stomachs all along: that John Edwards is the biological father of Frances (“granddaughter of a mill worker”). Now that it’s confirmed, the Enquirer’s cover story this week is about how John is going to move Rielle Hunter and Frances closer to him, in Wilmington:

John Edwards is moving the mother of his love child into his North Carolina neighborhood and will help raise their baby, The ENQUIRER reports exclusively.

In a stunning change of heart, the disgraced 2 time presidential candidate loser – who’s denied being the child’s father for more than a year – has embraced fatherhood and wants to be intimately involved in the life of daughter Frances.

The ENQUIRER also learned that his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth exploded in a rage when he told her of his parenting plans and that he’s moving his mistress and baby to Wilmington, near his plush $2.6 million waterfront mansion.

The bombshell development comes on the heels of our exclusive report last week that Edwards underwent a secret DNA test proving he fathered 18-month-old Frances with former lover Rielle Hunter.

Sources close to the 45-year-old blonde divorcee say they believe Edwards is paying for her move, although they have no proof of this.

“John is definitely behind Rielle’s move to Wilmington,” declared an insider. “There’s absolutely no way that he didn’t approve or arrange her moving closer to him – it’s all part of his new plan to do the right thing.

“John’s admitted to his family and close friends that he’s the father of Frances. He says he wants to be a part of her life and help raise his daughter.”

As The ENQUIRER exclusively reported, in the wake of the positive DNA test, attorneys for both Edwards and Hunter began hammering out an agreement for child support payments.

And the former senator made a decision to announce the paternity results before the conclusion of the federal grand jury looking into his possible violation of campaign finance laws, say sources.

Edwards’ long-suffering wife Elizabeth was furious that John intended to help raise the toddler and have Rielle as a neighbor, said a source close to the couple.

“Elizabeth was hit with an overwhelming one-two punch,” another source told The ENQUIRER.

“She’s always figured the child may be John’s, but the positive DNA result really floored her. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, John told Elizabeth he needed to be in his daughter’s life – and that Rielle was moving to North Carolina.

“He told Elizabeth he was tired of all the lies, and that’s why he was ready to publicly admit Frances is his baby. That’s when Elizabeth exploded! In a fit of rage, she grabbed a suitcase and started packing her things . . .”

[From the National Enquirer]

I get why this is being told from an “Elizabeth is so devastated” angle, but I have a question. Whatever happened to Andrew Young? Young was the former Edwards staffer who spectacularly fell on his sword for his boss, and claimed that Frances was his baby. Young and Rielle Hunter have been living together as a “family” for something like two years. The last we really heard of Young, he was maybe planning a tell-all on Edwards and the whole situation. Since then, Young has kind of disappeared from media coverage. Are he and Rielle still living together? Is he still helping to raise the baby?

As for the whole story about John moving Rielle closer to him… I sort of buy it. It could happen. I could see John trying to come out and play the victim, saying “Look, I’m trying to do the right thing, I’m trying to raise my daughter…” And I’m sure Elizabeth does find the whole thing devastating. She probably feels like John’s already lining up potential second wives for when she dies.