I use this diary as an opportunity to apologize to some of the people I might have just offended by recent string of posts that have taken on a vituperative tone.
I diss "Dean people." But I still love Dean the man. However, the fact of the matter is is that Dean would have been a weak candidate in the general, primarily because of the BS corporate media. But this is the media we have. We can work to change the media, and we are doing so slowly. But it can't be done overnight. This type of grassroots change must take place over time. From a purely political standpoint, the number one goal right now is removing Bush from office and winning back Congress this fall. This is what matters. Because America's political center has moved so far right in the last 36 years, Kerry needs to appeal to reach out - as a center-left candidate - to the center-right, not the left. (And God knows, a center left president is a hell of a lot better than a hard right one.) The sad fact is that is where the votes are. There are many more "moderates" than their are leftists in the United States currently. Accordingly, he needs to appear patriotic, to appear that he "supports the troops." What has Bush's whole line of attack been - that he's "too liberal" and "weak on defense." I can't convince everyone otherwise, but I am certain that countering this criticism by moving "right" strategically is better politics.
The Kos delinking "flap" is a part of this strategy. I don't necessarily endorse Kerry's decision, but it is the right one strategically.