Requiem for a jerk

Like Joe Klein, I was never a John Edwards fan. For some reason, he always struck me as superficial and a bit too slick. Events, of course, ultimately proved my intuition correct. But I agree with Klein's take on the 19-page indictment filed against Edwards today: "I think his indictment today is a big waste of time and money. If he did break the law, it was a one-time, unique situation, an act of stupidity ruled by panic and passion. His penalty for that act was to become a public joke, cad and a pariah. He will have to live the rest of his life knowing that every time he shakes someone’s hand there’s a high probability that person will be thinking: you slimy, disgusting jerk. There are other criminals out there whom the government should be pursuing. The bankers who caused the crash, for example."