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trial attorneys in the United States. Local reporters called Edwards' courtroom arguments "the most impressive legal performance I have ever seen."

The odds of a young man growing up in mill villages and going to college were slim, but the odds of such a man going on to become one of the wealthiest, most successful trial attorneys in the nation are infinitesimal. Why could John Edwards get up in front of a jury and win multi-million dollar verdicts, one right after another against some of the most skilled defense attorneys representing some of the largest corporations in the country? Perhaps the "fire in his belly" came from his background and what he had seen growing up. He and his family knew firsthand what it was like to be under the thumb of large corporations with no semblance of equal bargaining power. Perhaps his humble beginnings enabled him to identify personally with the injured and downtrodden; poignantly realizing his advocacy was the only chance those he represented would ever have to redress their injury and loss.

There has been so much unkind publicity about John Edwards' $400 haircut. Have you ever been over-charged or had someone take advantage of you? I have. In the case of a haircut, realistically what could Edwards have done? It is not as if you can return a haircut or undo it. Like most everyone who gets a hair cut, he was probably given the bill only after the service had been rendered. Should he have obtained an estimate prior to engaging barber services? Granted women's hair styling is more expensive, but my last haircut with color, including tip cost $150 without product purchase. It was one of the better salons in our area, but it wasn't Vidal Sassoon himself.

The cost of hair care may be higher for a presidential candidate or other high profile clients, particularly if special arrangements are required to assure the candidate's privacy and security. Maybe it is appropriate for a high profile client such as a presidential candidate to pay for the salon's lost revenue if the salon clears its schedule to assure the high profile client's privacy. Who wants to see a presidential candidate on YouTube or Entertainment Tonight getting a shampoo or sitting under a diffuser with tin foil and curlers? Finally, if Edwards had argued about the bill or refused to pay it, the headline would have read,
"Multi-millionaire Presidential Candidate John Edwards Stiffs Barber over Cost of Haircut."

John Edwards came from a loving, functional two-parent family.

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