Kerry's Future is the Past

Bob Shrum is muscling his way into control of the John Kerry campaign. For me, that's a good thing, as I can't recall a major, contested campaign he's run that has resulted in victory. Please correct me if I'm wrong. He blew it for Gore, hopefully he'll blow it for Kerry.

As the article points out, Shrum is a populist. That oughta be fun to watch -- him trying to make the elitist Kerry into a populist. Have Boston Brahmin John eat another Philly cheese steak, why don't you? Kerry's been running an "I'd do the same, but differently" campaign. Now it will become "us. vs. them." Except I don't think that's a winning strategy in a nation generally united in the face of foreign threat. I fully expect some type of terrorist attack in this country in the month before the elections. Again, "us vs. them" won't play in that environment.

The only advantage I see Kerry having right now is that a lot of foreign leaders are being recalcitrant or withholding. Many hope that obstreperousness will pay in the coin of a Kerry election. All Bush's entreaties, many of which Kerry has or will make himself, are being blown off by leaders hoping to make Bush look weak, isolated and ineffective. They all hope Kerry will come in and then, miraculously, they'll cooperate out the wazoo with an America that Kerry will allow to be tied down by the Lilliputian United Nationites.

I hope Bush stays the course, so that after the election all these leaders are left holding the bag. Then watch them come crawling.