Dump Kerry?

Several articles in respected, generally liberal publications (Slate and the Village Voice being two examples), have begun to raise the possibility that the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts could be kicked to the curb prior to the upcoming presidential election -- a truly unprecedented occurrence. In fact, Slate columnist Mickey Kaus wasn’t even quite sure that the feat is even possible.

I guess the theoretical dumping of Kerry is a good thing, despite the fact that I had finally come to terms with supporting Kerry on the sole premise that anyone other than Bush (and Nader) would be a step in a positive direction. In hindsight it’s a bit amusing that Kerry was considered the most “electable” of the candidates, despite the Democrats clearly needing a leader who could provide a consistent message. Saying Kerry is consistent is like saying that Idaho is a tropical getaway.

The big question, though, is who could even possibly replace Kerry at this late stage? It would seem odd, to say the least, to replace Kerry with any of the previous candidates, who lost in the primary season. Tim Russert of Meet The Press grilled Hilary Clinton a number of months ago, prior to it being apparent that Kerry would be the elected nominee, about this exact situation. Hilary didn’t lend any support to the idea that she could pull a coup at the Democratic convention, but she didn’t exactly deny the possibility either. Either way, great foresight shown by Russert, demonstrating why Meet the Press is clearly the premier Sunday morning political show of the major networks.

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0417/mondo1.php
http://slate.msn.com/id/torch