"Branded a crook, profiled three times by 60 Minutes, slammed in East Coast newspapers, Edwards embraced a maverick, gambling, womanizing reputation with comedic relish. But one day the laughter ran out. Was he a crook? Or did the feds seek to silence him? Here is an unvarnished, inside truth about American politics, the media, the punsters, campaign hacks, federal agents and the fickle public. This will answer many questions about why the system is so screwed up and why the Status Quo remains the status quo." --Cover, p. 4.