Here we are in the midst of a presidential campaign and yet enormous chunks of cable news channel air time are being expended on Hillary Clinton and John Edwards - - two people who are no longer in the race.  At least Hillary still has an opportunity to screw things up for Barack Obama since many of her supporters seem to be trying to find a way to reinvigorate her candidacy at the convention in Colorado. Edwards has been out of contention for ages, and he meant it when he withdrew.

But his admission that he did in fact have an affair has news teams everywhere salivating and analyzing his psyche to a degree reminiscent of the extraordinary attention lavished on President Clinton over his sexual transgressions. No doubt we'll be treated to a rehash of the little-blue-dress syndrome as reporters scurry around collecting prurient tidbits to keep everyone ‘informed' about the sex lives of politicians. Amateur psychologists have already suggested comparisons between the two men, and much is being made about Edwards publicly denying that he had had an affair.

Several aspects of this "breaking news" are worth exploring. First, it shouldn't come as a major revelation that men lie about their sexual experiences. In some cases, they lie to appear more active than they really are, mostly to pals in bars and locker rooms. Often they lie to keep illicit trysts a secret from wives, lovers and the public at large. I'm sorry, but is this surprising? When was the last time a husband, politician or just your average Joe, bought air time or took out an ad in the personals column of his local newspaper to announce he'd been unfaithful to his wife and wanted the world to know?

The point is, if ever there were a subject more likely to be lied about than sex, it's hard to say what it might be - - disregarding, of course, those masters of deceit currently operating out of the White House. But you know what; it is quite possible that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have always been faithful to their wives with nary a hint of having fathered a love child beyond the blanket, as such things were once rather charmingly described. Their fidelity in that regard, however, doesn't necessarily make them good or honest men in other ways, as we have had the misfortune to discover.

In the first blush of news coverage about Edwards, there have been endless discussions about what his affair means - - for Democrats, for a cynical electorate, for the election itself. MSNBC's Mike Barnacle asked if the public might be so turned off they wouldn't trust any politician ever again. Goodness, gracious, is it possible voters believed everything candidates were saying before Edwards' cataclysmic revelation? Is it fair to suggest, as other pundits have, that he is a hypocrite and his positions on poverty and health care are no longer valid? Is that even correct usage of the word hypocrite? There are plenty of congressional examples of hypocrisy that have nothing to do with sex, but TV panelists often draw parallels where none exist.

With respect to the Clinton angle, anxious questions are posed about what Bill might say at the convention. Could Obama cut him off at the pass, as it were, by asking him to put his name into nomination? Will the former president ever be more enthusiastic when asked about his support for the presumptive nominee? Is he still steamed; is he still a loose cannon; will the Edwards thing create anxiety about his ability to stay out of trouble with ‘the ladies'?

And then there's Hillary, with a group of what sounded like chattering magpies. Forgive the misogynistic tilt, but, as a woman, I guess I can get away with it. Really, that nonsense about how the Greeks worked through their angst by means of a catharsis - - Saying that her people just want to be heard and release their pent-up emotions means she accepts their plan to demonstrate in the streets and nominate her from the floor of the convention. Imagine what people would be saying if she were the presumptive nominee and Obama supporters pulled stunts like that. Everyone got heard during the primaries. Isn't it time to forgo the ego trip, show a little class and support the candidate who won?

I plan to avoid all TV News Shows until the Edwards story has run its course. As for Hillary's fans, maybe instead of a catharsis, a good cathartic would be in order.