Rumors of Kerry Redux

Huh!?!? Wasn't once enough. I am valiantly resisting the Democratic tendency to skewer our losers, but the last thing I want (after a Hillary candidacy) would be the return of Kerry onto a Presidentail ticket. I think he should stay in the Senate and be a beacon of hope in a hostile Congress.

But rumors are flying that he may again reach for national office, having seen the chalice up so close.

From the LA Times:

"There's a tradition," said Robert Farmer, who was campaign treasurer for Dukakis in 1988 and Kerry this year. "Nixon ran and lost and then won, Reagan ran and lost, then won. In this case, you'll have to look at the field and say to yourself, 'Could another candidate have won states that John Kerry didn't win?' And my sense is that I don't think anybody could have done much better than John Kerry did."

From the Washington Post:

Aides said Kerry is relishing the prospect of renewed combat with President Bush, fighting such measures as the president's proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Kerry has spent most of the past two years on the campaign trail, meaning that his return to Capitol Hill will be something of a reintroduction to colleagues.

Kerry's plans contrast starkly with the approach taken by former vice president Al Gore, who all but disappeared from the political scene after losing to Bush in the disputed 2000 presidential election.

Several Democrats expressed skepticism about Kerry's plans, saying they believe the party needs a fresh face and must turn a corner. One well-known Democratic operative who worked with the Kerry campaign said opposition to Bush, not excitement about Kerry, was behind the senator's fundraising success. "If he thinks he's going to capitalize on that going forward, he's in for a surprise," said the operative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.