"Alvin Greene speaks out about indictment." Headlines from WLTX-TV. Greene, speaking at a voter registration drive in Chesnee, SC, commented on his indictment. He said that it was a smear campaign against his candidacy. And at least one comment by either a Greene supporter or a WLTX hater (it is hard to determine which) said that the news outlet lied by saying they "managed to grab two sentences" from him. Both Greene's and the commenter's accusations are puzzling.

As for Greene, it is strange for him to say the accusation of his misconduct is a smear campaign when the arrest was in November 2009 and his candidacy filing was in April 2010. How is it that someone can mount a smear campaign five months before his status as a political figure? Very odd.

As for the person who commented on the article, it seems somewhat delusional. If Greene, a candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at a public event and the news media are there to cover it, and he makes a comment about anything, is he then not "speaking out" about something? To claim the media outlet "lies" about this is puzzling.

Just as Greene's win cannot be explained, even by the people who voted for him, the vehemence of those that actually support him is equally unexplainable. The statement he made at the event, just as all his speeches and interviews, shows him to either be of limited capacity or not a very good public speaker. Either way, it is confusing to understand why anyone would want someone like this representing the state in a venue such as the U.S. Senate, among lawyers and other professionals who would eat him alive.

The Greene conundrum is a train wreck that you just can't turn away from as it plays out on both the state and national levels. On one hand you cannot want to know what is going to happen next in this mini-drama of state politics. On the other, you just want it to go away and stop the national embarrassment it is causing for South Carolina.

The question remains; is Alvin Greene's campaign (much like Tom Clement of the Green Party) even relevant in real political terms? Until the general election in November, or until something causes him to pull out (voluntarily or involuntarily), this circus will continue unabated.

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