This is so creepy, I don't know how to diary it :Updated

I hope this story  from the Boston Globe turns out to be just one of those things that sometimes happens when a populist campaign turns all fiery, the way John Edwards' has.

Update:
TPM is reporting that:

Man Arrested For Impersonating Edwards Aide
Florida man Michael Duga, a career criminal whose record includes selling drugs and car-jacking, has been arrested for making his way into a John Edwards event by falsely telling people he was a former staffer for ex-Senator Max Cleland (D-GA) — as it turns out, Cleland did have a staffer who was also named Michael Duga.

Martha's  Martha's Vinyard Gazette has this troubling
word:

Police say 31-year-old Michael Duga used a credential identifying himself as the chief of staff to former Sen. Maxwell Cleland of Georgia to gain access to the event.

Once inside, he purported to be a top official for the Edwards campaign to some while representing himself as a paying guests to others. According to Mr. MacDonald, the host of the event, Mr. Duga was neither.

"Let me say that Mr. Duga is not - nor has he ever - been affiliated with the Edwards campaign . . . as far as I know he knew nobody at the event, and nobody there knew him," Mr. MacDonald said.

During the party, Mr. Duga slipped into a back room at the MacDonald home and stole a package of Edwards campaign material as well as a bundle of the former U.S. senator's personal stationary. According to one guest who asked not to be identified, Mr. Duga approached several people during the fundraiser and asked if they could help him arrange a private meeting with Mr. Edwards and his wife Elizabeth.

"He really seemed a bit off . . . at one point he pushed his way through the audience just to sit at a table next to Mr. Edwards," the guest said.

This,  from the Boston Globe:

Duga, who was arraigned yesterday in Edgartown District Court on charges including marijuana possession and breaking into the Menemsha Coast Guard station, allegedly arrived at the Edwards fund-raiser Friday night in a stolen Chevrolet Suburban.
Two campaign aides told police that they saw Duga enter the same vehicle as Edwards and his wife when they left the event for Martha's Vineyard Airport. It was not clear yesterday whether Duga actually accompanied Edwards to the airport.
"Michael Duga does not work for our campaign; but we cannot comment any further, as this is a security issue and pending investigation," said Colleen Murray, a spokeswoman for the campaign.
Duga, who has a criminal history that includes selling drugs and carjacking, also allegedly had stolen campaign documents in his possession, police said.
"The materials would have to have come from someone employed [by Edwards], not just a volunteer," the campaign officials told police, according to the report.

A quick Google of Michael Duga turns up little, other than a role as spokesperson ,  with former Senator Max Cleeland.

Does anyone know more about him?  

I'm sure the Edwards Campaign is being extra careful, and conducting it's own internal investigation, but as each day goes by and JRE reminds me even more of so many of my great political heros like Paul Wellstone and RFK, I find this story especially unsettling.

If if another sad case of a mentally unstable person who has gone over the edge in their "enthusiasm," I hope he gets the help he needs, but NOT the attention he seeks.

Because they recognised circumstances weren't always within the control of their campaign, the Obama's have had to accept Secret Service protection earlier in a campaign than was ever done before in a primary season.
Hillary, as a former First Lady, probably already falls under it.

I trust John and Elizabeth Edwards to deal with this with the dignity they have shown for others in the past, but to put their safety first.

If this has already been diaried, or folks think it's better left till  more is known, or even left unspoken, I will happily delete.

I'd feel better if I hadn't heard about it on C-Span this morning.

Update 2

TPM has edited their post and it no longer denies that it is the same Michael Duga.

Man Arrested For Impersonating Edwards AideFlorida man Michael Duga, a career criminal whose record includes selling drugs and car-jacking, has been arrested for making his way into a John Edwards event. The man was found in possession of documents from the Edwards campaign, including: Three sheets of stick-on Edwards campaign badges, an itinerary of Edwards' campaign stops, ten sheets of Edwards' personal stationery and envelopes, and other documents with the names, contact information and hotel assignments for campaign staffers.

nice work, wanderindiana