Jack Shafer attempts to explain why the media is ignoring the John Edwards love child story. One thing Shafer doesn't mention is that there was (and probably still is) a desire, perhaps unspoken, among members of the MSM to protect Elizabeth Edwards. She is well liked by the press, and there is understandably a lot of sympathy for her given the fact she has two small children and terminal cancer. No need to rub her face in the "allegedly" schmuckish behavior of her husband.

But Shafer is right about the double standard that's been applied by the media in its blackout of this story vis a vis the Larry Craig incident. In particular, the New York Times deserves to singled out for additional ridicule, given that they went out of their way to publish rumors about John McCain being romantically involved with a lobbyist on the front page, yet they would not get near the Edwards love child story with a ten foot pole while he was running for president.

UPDATE: A reader points out a gross omission from my post. Two words: Vito Fossella. The media clearly had no apprehensions about pursuing and exposing that angle of the story, even though, as I recall, he was only stopped for driving under the influence.