Litigation

"Some of the most devastating reporting in the book is about the six-foot trail of oozing amoebic dysentery formerly known as Sen. John Edwards" -Kyle Smith  New York Post commenting on "Game Change" a gotta read political book about the 2008 political campaigns.

48% of respondents to a Daily News Poll published January 22, 2010 said John Edwards stands "on the lowest rung of the social ladder", when compared to Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, "tap stancing" former Idaho Sen.Larry Craig and former NJ governor Jim McGreevey.

My first encounter with John Edwards was a snowy night in February 2003 at the home of two Buffalo attorneys and former clients of mine. One of the two attorneys apparently had their head turned by the full court money press of John Bair and Forge Consulting and decided to use this as leverage to encourage me to contribute money to someone who I never knew existed until shortly before that evening. "The next President of the United States" was the rallying cry. In hindsight it boiled down to $2,000 for a crudite and a diet coke for a guy who turned out to be a total "crud". Of course one gets the obligatory "photo op", which I now use as a mop.

Industry colleagues and "good judges of character " Forge Consulting apparently saw more in John Edwards than I did and posted an alleged "testimonial" from him on the Forge Consulting website. In addition, Forge CEO John Bair followed up a mutually exclusive advertising stunt by using this alleged testimonial in written solicitations to members of the New York State Trial Lawyer Association in 2007. He even became one of Edward's bundlers, getting other suckers to buy into this huckster.

I questioned John Edwards about the Forge Connection in March 2007 and later to senior members of his campaign. John Edwards alleged testimonial about Forge Consulting's professional performance was mathematically impossible given that he stopped practicing law in 1999 and 4 years had passed by the time Forge Consulting was founded. This author and others teamed up to put pressure on Edwards to answer this question. He never did, but during the AAJ meeting in Chicago in July 2007, the Forge Consulting testimonial page which included many other lawyers miraculously disappeared, never to return.

Given that John Edwards is a proven liar, what shoud we believe about the alleged testimonial that Forge used in an attempt to gain competitive advanatge over its competitiors?

I later uncovered misleading information in the time line of John Bair's LinkedIIn profile which suggested that he was with Forge Consulting from 1999 to present, as opposed to 2003-present.This author believes the possibility that it was a cover up for Edwards. The point has never been refuted by John Bair to this author publicly or privately, although he subsequently changed his LinkedIn profile

An industry colleague was at a fundraiser in New York in the August 2008, around the time the Rielle Hunter scandal broke and overheard Bair kvelling to those who would listen about who proud he was to have Edwards in his camp.

I waxed lyrical at the time. Back "by popular demand",   "The Bundler"!

To the tune of "The Gambler"

On a warm summer's evenin at a fund raiser in New York City
I met up with the bundler; the slippery little sneak
So we both took turns a starin at the National Enquirer
Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said son I've made a life, out of "buying people's business"
And isn't my check in the mail, the sight they want to see?
So if you don't mind my sayin, it's what they call fund raising
Go on and write a check big boy, it will set you free

So when we read about old Johnny, that's Johnny Lyin' Edwards
Said how's "his vouch" workin for you, now his cheatins come to light?
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression
Said, if you're gonna play the game boy, y'all know that's just life

To which I sang:

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold them
Know when to walk away, know when to run.
You never bundle money for a cheating politician
There'll be plenty o' time to buy influence before your career is done.

He said how could it go so wrong? I said "Call Spooner" NOT "Have a Nooner!"
We've bundled so much dough for him, I really can't keep count
He really thought that Johnny would be Attorney General
Now he's looking for another on whom to flaunt an amount.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold them
Know when to walk away, know when to run.

(repeat to fade)