This is like shooting fish in a barrel, but the news that John Edwards is under investigation for allegedly improperly diverting campaign funds to his mistress makes some of his past comments on the campaign trail pretty stunning. From a video of Edwards speaking in Derry, New Hampshire, December 8, 2007.

“We have to have a president who will be honest with you. We do. We need a president who will tell you the truth. We need a president who can restore that trust between America and the President of the United States. It is absolutely crucial . . . I know this is hard for a candidate to say, but judge me. Judge every other candidate. When you walk out of here today, you go up or down, I trust that guy, or I don’t.”

It’s amazing he didn’t get struck by lightning. More quotes that look horrific in hindsight:

January 30, 2008: “I began my presidential campaign here to remind the country that we, as citizens and as a government, have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters. We must do better, if we want to live up to the great promise of this country that we all love so much . . .”

November 30, 2007: “You have a choice in this election. You have to decide what kind of person you want as your next president . . . Do you want someone who is going to lead with conviction and tell you the truth, and have a little backbone?”

October 26, 2007: “We should increase transparency so that the public can see what corporations are doing. As president, I will enact a new law requiring all businesses to disclose a wealth of new and important information in annual reports to their shareholders, the appropriate government regulator, and to the public.”