Dang it! Just Dang!

[DKW 86 7,441]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...sidential_race/

Kerry won't run for president in '08

By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | January 24, 2007

WASHINGTON --Senator John F. Kerry plans to announce today that he will not run in the 2008 presidential race, and will instead remain in Congress and seek reelection to his Senate seat next year, according to senior Democratic officials.

Breaking News Alerts Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, plans to say he will remain in the Senate to recommit himself to efforts to extricate the United States from the war in Iraq. His decision to stay out of the presidential race reflects a realization that he would have had an uphill climb in capturing the Democratic nomination, given the other party heavyweights who are already in the race, according to the officials, who spoke to the Globe on condition of anonymity.

Kerry plans to make his plans known with a speech on the Senate floor this afternoon, and is taping a message to e-mail his supporters to explain his decision.

Kerry, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, has been acting like a 2008 candidate virtually since he lost to President Bush -- traveling the country, spreading money to other Democratic candidates, and keeping in place a campaign infrastructure that was ready for another presidential bid.

But according to Kerry associates, the senator's plans changed dramatically in the fallout of his election-eve ``botched joke" about the education levels of US troops. The harsh reaction to that incident -- from many Democrats as well as Republicans -- displayed to Kerry the extreme skepticism within his own party about whether he should mount another run.

And, with polls giving front-runner status to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, Kerry realized that he would face formidable adversaries in the quest for the Democratic nomination. Clinton, Obama, and a host of other candidates have been busily hiring campaign operatives and signing up key fund-raisers in recent weeks.

On Iraq, Kerry has emerged as a fierce war critic after initially supporting the invasion of Iraq. He has spoken of his war opposition in a similar vein to his efforts to bring the Vietnam War to a conclusion in the early 1970s.

Kerry's announcement freezes in place the various Democratic aspirants to his Senate seat. Massachusetts hasn't had a vacant Senate seat since 1984 -- when Kerry himself won his first six-year-term -- and several members of the state's all-Democratic congressional delegation have expressed interest in running for the Senate if Kerry retired.

[Ranger12 46]

Yeah, I just heard some democrat talking head on CNN say that the botched joke hurt him. Plus the fact they figure Hilary and Obama are going to be sucking up alot of the democratic party funds.

[AURaptor 1,126]

Yeah, I just heard some democrat talking head on CNN say that the botched joke hurt him. Plus the fact they figure Hilary and Obama are going to be sucking up alot of the democratic party funds.

Kerry's just practicing the Dem party line of cut and run.

I think Hillary has enough on her own, some 14 million, so far. Dunno about Osama, err... Obama.

[Tigermike 3,054]

My first reaction was good riddance. My second was he knew there would be questions about the Navy records he never got around to releasing. And this time it would be democrats asking the questions.

In an age of rampant narcissism, John Kerry is a standout, even in a world class field of narcissistic politicians.

THE TRACKS OF HIS TEARS

(eat your heart out, Smokey)

People thought he was the life of the Party,

And so he ran for Prez in '04.

So convinced he was a smarty,

But he turned out to be a bore

[Even more than Gore]

Now take a good look at his face

You'll see there's lots of empty space;

If you look closer, it's easy to trace

The tracks of his tears..

Since he lost he's been hopin' for another try

And lookin' for his magic hat

Although he's got her bucks

He's just plain out of luck

Cause all his Swift Boat tales fell flat..

Now take a good look at his face

You'll see there's lots of empty space;

If you look closer, it's easy to trace

The tracks of his tears..

[He wants fame, but he's so lame]

He's always masquerading

And it's so damned degrading

Since he knows he should rule

Over all us silly fools;

His charm's a sham

He picked up in Vietnam..

So take a good look at his face

You'll see there's lots of empty space;

If you look closer, it's easy to trace

The tracks of his tears....