The modest rise and graceless fall of John Edwards

Talk about a pol whose moment had almost come and has certainly gone. The Democratic vice presidential candidate of 2004 not only imploded and embarrassed his wife before she died, he now faces federal charges. 

From the AP:

RALEIGH, N.C. - A federal grand jury has indicted two-time presidential candidate John Edwards over massive sums of money spent to keep his mistress in hiding during the peak of his 2008 campaign for the White House.

The case of USA v. Johnny Reid Edwards contains six counts, including conspiracy, four counts of illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements. The indictment was returned in the Middle District of North Carolina Friday.

An Edwards spokeswoman said she wasn’t aware of the filing and declined immediate comment.

The indictment is the culmination of a federal investigation that lasted more than two years and scoured through virtually every corner of Edwards’ political career.