OK.... I'm a Deaniac. I was never thrilled with John Kerry, he was below Edwards, Gephart, Clark, and Mosely-Braun on my list. But, I swear, I'm being converted in recent days. Am I the only one?
It isn't that his record seems more attractive to me or his speaking style less grating. It's not any new information I've seen about him or what he stands for. It's his campaign. These guys are. Really. Smart. I mean, I guess they proved that when they slipped under the radar in Iowa to slap my guy back to Vermont. But now that it's Bush, I'm beginning to see the stealth campaign they are waging for what it is. Brilliant.
I've seen all over the diaries the last couple of days... Where's Kerry? Where are the Dems? They should be out there hammering BushCo. Well IMO, Kerry is exactly where he should be. I'll make my case...
The Kerry campaign has had the great good sense to stand back and let the Bush Administration implode on its own. If Kerry, or associates of the Kerry campaign, or major Dems speaking on election themes, were out there right now denouncing Bush and kicking him while he's down, the media would be reporting all the current news as part of the horse race, and The People would see it that way.
But the Kerry campaign isn't doing that. They're all "Unity" and corporate tax reform and taking a well-earned Aspen retreat. And so? The media, from the far right to the center right popular to the serious, has nowhere to go but to talk about the Bush Administrations problems. To parse Condi's statements, to point up contradictions. And when they get tired of talking about Clarke and 9/11, they go to the Medicare scandal for a break. And "Is Bush in Trouble?" And "Are We Really Safer?" And "Rumsfeld's War?" Even Rush, as I saw elsewhere, is reduced to trying to ridicule the Democrats Unity rally. And it just dies....
This is masterful political jiu jitsu. Kerry has induced the frenzied Republicans into killing themselves by not attacking. He can now pick his moment to walk in, like Fortinbras stepping over the dead Danish lords at the end of Hamlet, to announce that the deputy-level counterterrorism hero who will certainly emerge from Clarke's book will be his new national security advisor.