How comfortable. How cozy. There is still hope for big shots trying to buy access to bigwigs in Virginia’s government, because, as the Supreme Court ruled last week, the prosecution applied too broad a brush to federal corruption laws.

The case, of course, is that of former Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose 11 corruption convictions were vacated by the Supreme Court. He is not totally off the hook, as federal prosecutors may elect to bring a narrower case. We suspect the trials are over, however, for McDonnell and his co-defendant, wife Maureen.

Leaving the question: how close can one get to a government official and stay within the law? Virginia law has been most relaxed over time; a state prosecutor found no violation with the McDonnells’ coziness with Jonnie Williams. Federal law apparently did not apply comfortably either.

We can agree, we hope, that the McDonnells’ actions … seeking loans, accepting a Rolex watch and payment for their daughter’s wedding, ...