"blood in the water"

The North County Times columnist William Finn Bennett talks about how the damaging allegations have hurt Randy "Duke" Cunningham reputation. Taking bribes will do that.

The reason this story is big - is not because of Washington corruption.

This story is big because it will force Cunningham to actually campaign for his House seat, instead of relying on his name and the (R) next to his name. It's carving a divide between him and his image. Now, he will have to back up and build that image - rather than rely on it's existence for a political win.