One notable absence at the big doings in Denver is 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee John Edwards, who is apparently otherwise engaged calling various former supporters and campaign aides to apologize for that whole having an affair and possibly fathering a child out of wedlock thing. How's that going?

Some ignore his plaintive phone entreaties and don't call back - even when Edwards leaves follow-up messages. A few return his calls - and give him a piece of their angry minds.

When Edwards reached one longtime confidant asking for advice, he was cut off with a terse: "I don't want you to call me again."

The conversation ended abruptly.

"I let you down, and I'm sorry," is a common refrain of these messages, said another top ex-assistant on the receiving end of one of the calls.

"It was kind of pathetic, to tell you the truth," said the ex-aide, who said he didn't return the call and doesn't expect to speak to his former boss again.

We'd call Edwards to get some confirmation on this story, but we get the feeling that the guy would pretty much just blab on and on for hours. I mean, it's not like he's got anything else to do now, right?