It's almost too easy. John Edwards invites a few bloggers to cover the announcement of his presidential candidacy. Robert Scoble, the grinning Buddha of tech blogging, hops on a plane. Rocketboom, the video blog which rose to fame on its former presenter's breasts, shoots a clip. Cue enthusiastic web chatter about the first Youtube candidacy, bloggers entering the political sphere and the arrival of You politics. Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but last time I checked, Edwards was an old-school protectionist; his campaign is being discounted by the mainstream press; and he's a politician. Which means — duh — he'll pander to anyone who'll pay him attention. If web journalists have really become a permanent element of the political discourse, they shouldn't be so easily and obviously flattered. The Edwards announcement on Youtube, after the jump: