From the accounts I've read (and I've not made Edwards' life a career), she was just as arrogant and condescending towards him as he was to the rest of us.
Edwards is the proverbial dogshit, just as LU described, to Elizabeth's thirst for power, prestige, and confirmation from others as to her so-called "brilliance".
In reality, I can see Elizabeth as being insecure and fearful, no doubt propagated by John's philandering, good looks, and knowledge that he was getting some on the side.
To that end, I see her as somewhat of a victim - but ALL of that is negated by the fact that she decided to "stay" with the Principal Scumbag in all of this. That makes her an opportunist very much like Hillary, who seized every nuance of Slick Willie's Office of Intern Blowjobs to portray her as a victim.
These women don't understand that they can't have it both ways. They either recognize the problem and deal with it by getting out of the relationship or they cast their lot with their Scumbag-in-Residence. When they cast their lot with the SIR, they've made a decision that favors themselves - and any thought of any children that might be a part of the equation is lost among the dreams of power and money that goes with power.
Elizabeth Edwards is a smart attorney in her own right (smarter than John, if you can believe her semi-public statements). She didn't need her husband to make a go of things. She should've extricated herself a LONG time ago, illness or no illness, for the simple reason that principle outweighs personal comfort.
She chose the easy way. And now it's biting her in the ass.
