Being A Cad Is No Crime

Having voted for (and donated to) John Edwards during his first Presidential campaign, I'm certainly disappointed by the events that emerged in the wake of his second. I don't know what it is that drives people with good public intentions to act so shamefully in their private lives, but whatever it is Edwards seems to have it in abundance. I'm not an expert on campaign finance law or personal ethics, but it's hard to shake the feeling that this past week's criminal indictment of Edwards is much more about the latter than the former.

If Edwards were simply another former candidate whose campaign played fast and loose with laws governing donations, I don't think this case leads to a trial, let alone an indictment. Even his relatively high stature as John Kerry's running mate wasn't the tipping point, it's all about his personal life. It's driven by the ick-factor of a self-proclaimed family-man cheating on his cancer-stricken wife compounded by fathering a child with his mistress.

As with many things, the cover-up was probably worse than the original sin. I use the term "sin" specifically, because, despite the correspondence relating to questionable handling of funds, it doesn't seem clear that a crime was committed, at least not by Edwards himself. There's no question that Edwards the husband ultimately turned out be a bad guy, but that's not a felony in America.