In his statement to the public, John Edwards said he had “a liaison with another woman.” Liaison does mean illicit sexual affair. But it is also widely used to describe professional communications that bridges groups. Edwards’ use of the word suggests an unwillingness to come completely clean, to say, “Yes, I had an affair.” Or, bolder yet, “Yes, I cheated on my wife.” Because he did, and that’s the way the rest of us are putting it.

Edwards also uses the euphemism “disloyal,” which sounds a lot softer than “unfaithful.”

He goes on to say that he believes he was being “99 percent honest” when he called the Enquirer story “completely untrue.” That’s an awfully big 1 percent of truth.

The statement notes: “With my family, I took responsibility for my actions in 2006 and today I take full responsibility publicly. But that misconduct took place for a short period in 2006. It ended then.”

That short conjunction “but” carries big meaning. No sooner does Edwards say he’s taking “full responsibility” than he throws out a “but,” pointing out the brevity of the affair.

But is used to contradict the statement it follows, frequently meaning “on the contrary” or “on the other hand.” Not the ideal follow up to a pledge of “full responsibility.”