[Liz]

Watching Mr. Kerry on TV, (John Weaver, the former strategist for Senator John McCain said), "I don’t know if it’s a stream of consciousness or stream of unconsciousness."

"It’s a lot of words and no clarity, a lot of presence and no warmth," said Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s Hardball, who was preparing to interview Mr. Kerry for an hour on April 27. "And I think he’s got to deal with that."

No kidding?

[Mike Bates]

"Maybe he needs some good professional advice," he added. . .

Certainly he does. And not of the media adviser type either.

[goldstategop]

Its not the TV stupid, its the candidate. He doesn't project likeability even in person. As usual, the Democrats don't get it. It has nothing to with John F*ckin's message or lack of one. It has everything to do with who he is as a human being. And if you can't get people excited about you, TV is going to only amplify what isn't there. The more you see of the Seinfeld candidate, the less you want to get know him.

[pittsburgh gop guy]

It depends on what your definition of "IT" is.....

[randita]

They're starting to pile on. The Village Voice and the Observer are naysaying today. The VV says Kerry ought to be dumped (in favor of Edwards -- yeah).

Can the mainstream press be far behind? Almost time for Brunnhilde to ride in on her white horse and save the party. Toyo-to-ho-o....

[livius]

That's okay, Hillary with deal with it on his behalf...

If I were Kerry, I'd be very afraid right about now.

[Conspiracy Guy]

John Kerry's presence is like a fart in a crowded elevator.

[Mamzelle]

He just better not blow it *yet*---

[Nemov]

Since April 15, they’ve speared Mr. Kerry for having said in the fall of 2003, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion—before I voted against it." The context, of course, was important: Mr. Kerry was criticizing Vermont Governor Howard Dean at the time, arguing over how to balance the budget in the context of the war in Iraq. But instead of squelching that image with a decisive blow, Mr. Kerry has continually cemented it with distended, lumbering TV appearances.

Not that it matters that much, but Kerry’s quote about the 87 billion dollars came just two months ago after Bush ran an attack ad in West Virginia the day Kerry campaigned there. It had nothing to do with Howard Dean, Kerry was directing those comments towards Bush. After the gaffe, the Bush team added his stumbling comments to the original ad. Talk about doing your homework before publishing an article. yikes

[OESY]

Mondo Washington, by James Ridgeway

John Kerry Must Go

Note to Democrats: it's not too late to draft someone—anyone—else, April 27th, 2004 11:45 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C.— With the air gushing out of John Kerry's balloon, it may be only a matter of time until political insiders in Washington face the dread reality that the junior senator from Massachusetts doesn't have what it takes to win and has got to go. As arrogant and out of it as the Democratic political establishment is, even these pols know the party's got to have someone to run against George Bush. They can't exactly expect the president to self-destruct into thin air.

With growing issues over his wealth (which makes fellow plutocrat Bush seem a charity case by comparison), the miasma over his medals and ribbons (or ribbons and medals), his uninspiring record in the Senate (yes war, no war), and wishy-washy efforts to mimic Bill Clinton's triangulation gimmickry (the protractor factor), Kerry sinks day by day. The pros all know that the candidate who starts each morning by having to explain himself is a goner.

What to do? Look for the Dem biggies, whoever they are these days, to sit down with the rich and arrogant presumptive nominee and try to persuade him to take a hike. Then they can return to business as usual—resurrecting John Edwards, who is still hanging around, or staging an open convention in Boston, or both.

If things proceed as they are, the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean.

[sauropod]

""It’s a lot of words and no clarity, a lot of presence and no warmth," said Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s Hardball, who was preparing to interview Mr. Kerry for an hour on April 27. "And I think he’s got to deal with that."

I saw part of that interview last night. Chrissy Matthews might as well have said to Kerry, "Please sir. Unzip your fly."

[alnick]

"I think he’s got to go back to remember what it felt like and help people understand what it was like in 1971," said Mr. Kerrey.

I wonder how helpful this defense of Kerry's traitorous words are coming from a man who has admited to exactly the kind of atrocities that JF'nK accused all American soldiers in Vietnam of.

[SkyPilot]

I'll bet you a Diet Coke that GW Bush can get Kerry so flustered during a televised debate that:

- Kerry swears and/or takes the name of God in vain

- Kerry loses his temper so badly that even journalists will watch with their mouths agape

[mtbopfuyn]

He, at 25, was just a kid??? What, just like Johnny Taliban shouldn't be held accountable for his actions against America because he was just a kid, never mind patriotic and upstanding young men and women are in Iraq today and in Vietnam at the ripe old age of 18? Excuse me, but that "kid" was given command of others' lives. That "kid" was in Paris. That "kid" was and is accountable for his actions today and his actions today are most questionable.

[sauropod]

"And I find afterward, we’ll be having conversations afterward, and it’s hard to get to him even then."

Not even when I light his cigarette for him...

[Stentor]

"I think he’s got to go back to remember what it felt like and help people understand what it was like in 1971,"

If that is what his campaign is about, he may as well mail it in from Paris. He is not helped by the fact that when he speaks he sounds like he is dubbing in the English soundtrack for an Ingmar Bergman film. Maybe he ought to mail the election in from Uppsala.

[OESY]

John F. Kerry = A Unique Blend of Monotony and Mendacity!

[JesseHousman]

Is Kerry Blowing It?

It all depends on what your definition of "it" is.

[new cruelty]

Thank you for posting this. This article reads like a workshop or guide for revamping kerry's campaign. I think it is great that the article quotes matthews and hewitt. They both sound desperate. Joe McGinniss stated that kerry is not Jack Kennedy, although he wishes he were. It sounds more like matthews, hewitt and company wish he were too.

[Larry Lucido]

failed to communicate the most humanizing part of his biography: his war record as a decorated Vietnam veteran

Yes, I never knew he was in Vietnam.

[BunnySlippers]

•