When is a reporter going to point out that John Edwards is making a campaign promise that is probably unconstitutional?

To appeal to Democrats infuriated by Washington, Mr. Edwards is employing unusual approaches. While he was the first candidate to present a health care plan, he no longer dwells on details of his proposal. Instead, in city after city, he threatens to take away health insurance for members of Congress if they do not overhaul the system by July 2009, six months after he would take office.

As Matthew Yglesias noted last month, Edwards seemingly could not do so without violating the 27th amendment to the Constitution, which states that “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.”

It’s amazing to me how little credence most reporters give to the statements candidates make on the campaign trail that don’t fit into prevailing narratives. The attitude seems to be that what they say now doesn’t matter, but of course it does. Look at candidate Bush, whose dissembling about tax and budget issues on the campaign trail turned into dissembling about tax and budget issues while in office (see All the President’s Spin for details).