John Edwards... Does He Know He's a Lawyer?

Okay, I'm a lawyer, so maybe I'm reading too much into this. Last night, I watched media coverage of John Edwards stumping through Wisconsin, where he hammered the President for the Swift Boat Veterans' ads against John Kerry. Edwards challenged the President to say three words: "Stop these ads."

Now I can't find an article reflecting that quote, but here's the closest thing to it that I found, from an AP release...

"Finally (Monday), the president spoke for the first time himself about this, and he did not meet the test," Edwards said. "He did not step to the plate. He did not say stop these ads. Instead, what we heard from the president was a typical politician's answer."

There's also this version of his statement...

"The moment of truth came and went, and the President still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing. We need a president with the strength and integrity to say when something is wrong. Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that the ad come off the air. Its funded by his own supporters, and casts one of own campaign officials. President Bush, it's time to do the right thing."

Okay, no big deal, right? Except for one thing. Edwards has no proof that Bush worked with the Swift Boat Veterans, and Bush is in fact barred from doing so by federal law as per McCain-Feingold. Bush cannot coordinate with a 527 group. He has denied doing so, and there is no proof that he has done so.

But here, Senator Edwards explicitly encourages the President to break federal law, by ordering the Swift Boat Vets to stop their ads, thereby coordinating with them. It's a fine line, sure. But if Edwards is still a member of the bar, doesn't he have a responsibility not to encourage such lawless behavior?