The NYT today has a piece that seems to be a hit job on John Edwards, who after all has some how managed to avoid being pulled into the dirty politics between Obama and Hillary as of late. So the question is then raised, is this just another opp research memo? I think so, but it brings up topics that are worth discussing and addressing.

According to the article, Edwards used his 501(c)(4) organization, The Center for Progress and Opportunity, but tax filings show that the main beneficiary of the organization was not the poor but Edwards himself. The Times continues:

The organization became a big part of a shadow political apparatus for Mr. Edwards after his defeat as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004 and before the start of his presidential bid this time around. Its officers were members of his political staff, and it helped pay for his nearly constant travel, including to early primary states.

While Mr. Edwards said the organization’s purpose was making the eradication of poverty the cause of this generation, its federal filings say it financed retreats and seminars with foreign policy experts on Iraq and national security issues. Unlike the scholarship charity, donations to it were not tax deductible, and, significantly, it did not have to disclose its donors ” as political action committees and other political fund-raising vehicles do ” and there were no limits on the size of individual donations.

[...]

But it was his use of a tax-exempt organization to finance his travel and employ people connected to his past and current campaigns that went beyond what most other prospective candidates have done before pursuing national office. And according to experts on nonprofit foundations, Mr. Edwards pushed at the boundaries of how far such organizations can venture into the political realm.

The article does however mention that the organization has done its intended purpose, and quotes a representative from the Edwards campaign defending the organization and its activities, including the work in New Orleans. But right after that passage the article jumps back in to say that he had meetings with: Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany; Henry Kravis, founder of KKR; and the chief executives of General Electric, Citigroup, Coca-Cola and DaimlerChrysler.

If this quote doesn’t set off the alarms that this is a hit job I don’t know what else will for you. While the merits of the Edwards’ apparatus and operation should be up to scrutiny and debate by voters, this article appears to be designed to drag Edwards into the same muck that Clinton and Obama are in with shady donations, dirty politics, and corporate ties, three things which Edwards has thus far been able to avoid.