"Democrats are cute when they're being pragmatic. They furrow their brows
and try to think like Republicans. Or as they imagine Republicans must
think.
" ... By the time this is all over, most of the serious contenders will
have been crowned the practical choice for at least a moment. First it was
Lieberman the Centrist. "I'm actually for Dennis Kucinich," a Democrat
might say, "because I like his position on nationalizing all the churches.
But I'm supporting Joe Lieberman. His views on nearly everything are
repellent to me, and I think that's a good sign."
" ... Some Democrats cheated and looked into their hearts, where they
found Howard Dean. But he was so appealing that he scared them. This is no
moment to vote for a guy just because he inspires you, they thought. If he
inspires me, there must be something wrong with him. So, Democrats looked
around and rediscovered John Kerry. He'd been there all along, inspiring
almost no one. You're not going to find John Kerry inspiring unless you're
married to him or he literally saved your life. Obviously neither of those
is a strategy that can be rolled out on a national level. But he's got the
résumé. And gosh, he sure looks like a president (an "animatronic
Lincoln," as my Slate colleague Mickey Kaus uncharitably described him).
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