The former Clinton political guru reports that trial lawyers who donated to Edwards "bundled massive contributions from their assorted law firms and client lists to float his presidential run."

While not illegal in and of itself, the practice sends up a red flag. And President Bush's opposition research team is sure to be scouring FEC records to see if any of Edwards' donor bundling included straw men and women putting up money given to them by a wealthy patron.

One potential problem: $1 million of Edwards' funds came from trial lawyers' wives, which were identified merely as "homemakers" in the campaign-finance filings.

Ooops. If the cash Edwards accepted really belonged to the spouses of these so-called "homemakers," that could be illegal.

Last August, Slate Magazine turned up one particularly questionable transaction: a $200,000 donation from a Little Rock trial attorney who hit up his staff for donations. The problem? Two clerks who worked in the office say their boss "asked for people to support Edwards and assured them 'he would reimburse us.' "

That's the same kind of stunt that had Al Gore explaining four years ago that there was "no controlling legal authority" after his campaign finance shenanigans came to light.

How many more stories like that are buried in Edwards' filings, Morris wonders. No doubt the Bush campaign will soon find out.

Editor's note: