Like many women before her, Maria Shriver is doing the rounds as the disgraced political spouse. She’s on the cover of People magazine — “Maria’s Broken Heart!” trills the cover line — and she’s a guest on one of Oprah’s very last shows. (In fact, on Tuesday night when the identity of Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s mistress and his love child were revealed, Shriver was spotted out on the town with Oprah at dinner.) I would bet money on it that Shriver eventually writes a memoir about this time of her life, like Elizabeth Edwards and Jenny Sanford before her.
Let me be clear: I don’t mean to make light of any heartbreak Maria Shriver and the Schwarzenegger children — they’ve got four, ages 13 to 21 — are most assuredly feeling or of the humiliation of their dirty laundry being aired in the public eye. No one deserves this and I hope they are all as tough as elephant hides as they deal with it.
And yet … I have a hard time feeling sorry for Maria Shriver. Rumors of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s infidelity and sexual harassment have been going on for years. Arnold’s wandering penis (and hands) pre-dates his governorship of California, a role that staunch Democrat and Kennedy scion Maria Shriver helped him win. So, while this situation undeniably sucks, I’m not boo-hoo-hooing for her. Keep reading »