Say It Ain't So, Johnny Reid Edwards

And so the hammer falls on John Edwards for allegedly using campaign funds to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter.

The 19-page indictment charges Edwards on six counts -- one count of conspiracy to violate federal campaign finance laws and to make false statements to the Federal Election Commission; four counts of accepting and receiving illegal campaign contributions from two donors and one count of concealing those illegal donations from the FEC.

"Mr. Edwards is alleged to have accepted more than $900,000 in an effort to conceal from the public facts that he believed would harm his candidacy," Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breur said in a statement. "As this indictment shows, we will not permit candidates for high office to abuse their special ability to access the coffers of their political supporters to circumvent our election laws."

The government's case centers on somewhat of an untested legal theory: that the Edwards campaign centered on his image as a family man, and that the North Carolina Democrat had to hide his affair to maintain that image. 

You know, I liked Edwards's politics.  But the whole "I cheated on my wife because she had terminal cancer" thing is just horrible.  I hate to say this, but at least Newt Gingrich served his wife with divorce papers when he left his wife with terminal cancer and found a new one.

All I can say is "glad we didn't elect the guy".  Could Edwards have beaten Hillary in a field without Obama in 2008?  Quite possible, actually.  Then where would we be right now?