Louisiana Politics-The Edwin Edwards Edition

Wright Thompson on former Louisiana governor and convicted felon Edwin Edwards:

People heard the stories: about gambling, about the women, and about how his demeanor suggested he didn't consider himself governor so much as king. The heir to the Kingfish himself. He seemed roguish in a wonderfully Louisiana way. During his famous campaign against former Klansman David Duke (who also later went to prison), he hopped around the state in a private plane, surrounded by his advisors. Everywhere they went, said a magazine reporter who spent time on the plane, a briefcase followed. Finally, the writer told me, she got a glimpse inside: guns, a bulky cell phone, breath mints, dental floss, and a bunch of college football point spread sheets. The crew made a ton of bets and later, riding in a campaign parade, the advisors updated the governor on scores, so that the narration went something like this:
(To waving supporters): How's your mama and dem?
(Under his breath to the crouched advisors reporting bad news in the game): Goddamn! Son of a bitch!
He might have been shady, but he was fun. Famously, when he beat Duke, one of his bumper stickers said, "Vote for the Crook: It's Important." He also authored the two greatest quotes in the history of American politics:
1. (On an opponent) "The only way I'm losing is if I get caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
2. (On David Duke) "We're both wizards in the sheets."
Even when he walked out of the courtroom after being found guilty, he smiled and offered a one-liner to reporters. "The Chinese have a saying that if you sit by the river long enough, the dead body of your enemy will come floating down the river," he said. "I suppose the feds sat by the river long enough, and here comes my body."
Then he crossed Main Street in Baton Rouge. Traffic came to a halt. Horns blared. And one woman leaned out the window and yelled in support, "You go, Governor!"

The guy may have been crooked as hell, but he's entertaining.  When he's not running my state, I'm not going to complain about that.