If one is going to run for the Presidency of the United States, as John Edwards did, high on the list of things one would be sure not to do in our time is have an extramarital affair at the same moment one is chasing the nation's highest elected office. Should any such affair come to light under the brutal glare of our politics now, one's candidacy is over.
While no one disputes Mr. Edwards's assertion that he is "the dumbest man in America," those who supported his candidacy -- with their time, money and beliefs -- clearly thought him worth their commitment. It is an egregious failure of judgment and character to let so many people work so hard for a candidacy that Mr. Edwards knew was at high risk of destruction. Ambition made him run. Blind ambition brought him to this.