Dim Bulb Briefly Glows Bright

The latest Newsweek has a great article on John Edwards that relates this story:

It's traditional for out-of-work politicos to head to Harvard's Institute of Politics for genial wonk talk. It's also traditional for failed veep candidates to put major distance between themselves and their old campaign. The two customs intersected when John Edwards stopped by Cambridge last month. Over lunch, Edwards held a Q&A session with students, faculty and political bigwigs, including Kerry-Edwards campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill, a visiting fellow at the institute. Edwards was asked for one lesson he'd learned from the 2004 campaign. His answer: "Don't listen to Mary Beth Cahill." The response in the room was stunned silence, observers later recalled. "No one laughed when he said it, and Mary Beth grew bright red," said one attendee. "It was very awkward."

Speaking truth to avarice! At last, it appears that someone at the top of the bill in the Democratic Party has realised, and is acting on, the truth that campaign directors Cahill and Bob Shrum are to victory what radioactivity is to life.

Cahill and Shrum have enriched themselves quite handsomely at the Democrats' expense. They have long, painful histories of continually losing national campaigns, and yet they always seem to insinuate themselves into the Democratic nominee's leadership. For conservatives and Republicans, that's great news. Let 'em keep sending the party over the cliff!

Activists on the Far Left, lots of folks in the Democratic base, and press sympathisers who would just like to see a win have complained about this pair for years and years. But Edwards is the first ticket-topper and potential candidate to break the wall of silence. Will they finally be exiled?