Scruggs Nation, Day 54

An excellent story in the New York Times this morning by Nelson Schwartz on P.L. Blake's connections with Dickie Scruggs and how many people who've been targeted by Scruggs over the years are now lining up to whack him like he's pinata. Click here for a copy of the story (free registration required to read it). Here's an excerpt:Rather than courtroom victories against the tobacco makers, legal experts say, it was Mr. Scruggs’s ability to put together a coalition of state officials and Washington politicians, while adeptly courting the news media, that ultimately forced cigarette makers to pay up in the landmark $248 billion national settlement. Mr. Scruggs declined to comment for this article. But his lead defense lawyer, John Keker, says Mr. Scruggs was unaware of any br