Gary Pearce says John Edwards "Nightline" interview was a failure.

In a post on the Talking About Politics blog, Edwards' former Senate campaign manager said that his admission of an affair on ABC News Friday was "breathtakingly cynical."

By comparison, Richard Nixon's Checkers speech was Churchillian in its dignity and honesty.

It's not clear who gets the gold medal for biggest phony Friday night: Edwards or the Chinese who organized the Olympics' opening ceremony.

Edwards' performance in the interview was a disaster from the start. Woodruff hit him head-on: Did you have an affair?

Instead of saying "yes," Edwards smiled and thanked Bob for coming by. He did everything but welcome Bob to his lovely home.

As the interview went on, the silver tongue that made Edwards what he was – multimillionaire, United States Senator and nearly Vice President and President – turned into Midas-in-Reverse.

Pearce said the National Enquirer now has "more credibility" than Edwards.

Thomas Friedman earned the first big round of applause today.

Aiming his sights at talk show host Rush Limbaugh, the New York Times columnist said that if global warming were not true, it would be the "greatest hoax" ever perpretrated on the United States.

He said that regardless of whether global warming happens, the United States should reduce its energy use and be more green because it would lead to better security and a stronger economy.

"It's like training for the Olympic triathlon," he said. "If the Olympics are held, you may win. If they are not held, you're fitter, healthier and smarter," he said.

That earned the first big round of applause at the Emerging Issues Forum today. (Earlier, a few people clapped when speaker Amory Lovins said sardonically that the U.S. military is trying to reduce its oil usage so that it won't have to fight wars in oil-rich areas.)

But Friedman said he didn't need applause.

"You don't need to clap," he said. "This isn't Crossfire."