From the New York Times:

When The Enquirer first reported the affair, a group of Edwards associates, including from past campaigns, assembled at his headquarters to try to stop the story from moving from the tabloid into major newspapers. They declined to respond to questions or issue any statements that might produce news reports, according to those involved in the effort. It was led by Jennifer Palmieri, a longtime associate of both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.
But by this summer, the team had shrunk. Ms. Palmieri managed the crisis again, working mainly with Mr. Edwards and Harrison Hickman, Mr. Edwards’s longtime pollster. Initially Mr. Edwards argued that he could ride out the latest report, but several associates said that if they were not true, he should denounce them.

All in all, it was a pretty darned successful effort, until now. Watching CNN this evening, it seems the coverage has gone from total silence to wretched excess. Does the story merit several consecutive hours of coverage? Not by any measure. First, Edwards wasn’t important enough to merit coverage. Now, he’s on wall-to-wall.