The "supermarket tabloid" National Enquirer says it deserves a Pulitzer Prize for breaking the story of John Edwards’ affair during the 2008 election. Seriously.

The paper’s editor Barry Levine told the Washington Post on Thursday that he thought his paper deserved journalism’s top honor for reporting about Edwards’ affair with a campaign staffer and their illegitimate child. On Thursday, Edwards confirmed for the first time that he is the father of the child in question.

"It’s clear we should be a contender for this,"  Levine told the Post. "The National Enquirer, a supermarket tabloid, was able to publish this reporting."

On Thursday, the Enquirer’s Web site ran a vindicated story summarizing the events.

‘What was that you said about The Enquirer, John?,’ the article reads. ‘Oh yeah – "Tabloid trash."’

Unfortunately for Levine and the Enquirer, the majority of the Edwards reporting came in 2007 and 2008, and this year’s Pulitzer Prizes will only recognize reporting from last year.