To Know, Know, Know Him....Is to hate, hate, hate him. John Kerry is
about as popular as a fat guy passing gas on an elevator.
Senate Democrats have been loath to express their opinions publicly, determined to emphasize a united front. But interviews suggest a frustration with Mr. Kerry, never popular among the caucus, and still unpopular among many Democrats for failing to defeat a president they considered vulnerable. Privately, some of his Democratic peers complain that he is too focused on the next presidential campaign.
Mr. Kerry now describes the war in Iraq as a mistake, even though he once supported it. His critics say they believe the new stand reflects more politics than principle, and ignores other Democrats' concern that setting a fixed date will leave those in tough re-election fights open to Republican taunts that they are "cutting and running" in Iraq.Exactly. As we have discussed here many, many times, Kerry's current position on the war has been calibrated to bring him popularity with the base, just as his position on the war in 2004 was calibrated to make him appear "electable".
Kerry knows that he's going to have to knock off Hillary, and that in order to do that he'll need the support of the netkooks. And the only way he's going to get those dolts on his side is to join in with John Murtha in calling for a deadline. But it puts those in tough districts at a disadvantage, because Murtha's plan only has support among the far left. By forcing those candidates to vote, Kerry gives them two options: lose the support of the activists, or loose the support of the centrists.
But of course Kerry's only interested in what helps John Kerry.
