John Edwards will surely one day be exposed as a despicable liar-one so manipulative that he could deny the obvious even when "stripped bare" during his confessional Nightline interview. Unfortunately, today is not the day.

The National Enquirer, the tabloid which has led the reporting of the former Democratic presidential candidate's affair with Rielle Hunter, purports to have proof that he fathered a child with his campaign videographer. The magazine may indeed have access to Edwards' former mistress: the "New York friend" it quotes could quite easily be a figment designed to get out Rielle's story without entirely wrecking her relationship with the former Senator. And the reported promise from Edwards to his girlfriend-"We'll be together when Elizabeth is gone"-would be juicy if accurate.

But the exclusive picture run by the Enquirer-of the 44-year-old party girl with her daughter Frances Quinn-doesn't prove a thing. The only image that links Edwards to a baby is a blurry spy photograph. And the only evidence that the tabloid puts forward is a quote from a plastic surgeon. "I have studied babies' head and face formation for many years and I am confident that these photos are one and the same baby," Dr. Dennis Hurwitz told the Enquirer.

For once, John Edwards is right: this is the "tabloid trash" the embattled politician found it so easy to dismiss last month.