Of course, it's much more the cover-up than the "crime" that harms John Edwards' chance for public life. As news stories have emerged this weekend, Edwards' protests that he is not the father look mighty feeble in light of monies paid to both Mr. Young and Ms. Hunter in their move to the west coast. Only a fool would think that there hasn't been hush money involved.

This is a real concern in that Edwards' name was seriously banded about as an Attorney General candidate for an Obama administration. Edwards would have been wide open to blackmail attempts. And it's further clear that a necessary skill for the job, judgement under fire, is sorely lacking.

To paraphrase ex-Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green: he is who I thought he was. A phony. 5-10 minutes of watching him speak, and more importantly how he looked in his eyes when he spoke, made that very clear. The latest is merely the confirmation of such.

I remember when a brief news story was banded about on this topic last winter, when Edwards was still in the race. Some people on this board were quick to blame a Cheney-driven Republican Party for throwing dirt. I guess evil Dick can't be behind EVERY bad thing that happens to Democrats.