No mo' momentum, says Dean

It appears that Howard Dean's campaign has run its course and fallen short of the finish line. Too bad too, because Dean brought a lot of excitement to the Democratic Party and to the disaffected, disinterested voters who've felt disenfranchised for at least the last four presidential runs. We'll hate to see you go, Mr. Dean. And thanks for the gritty, risk-taking stand you made - for a while.

How Kerry will fair against the president is anybody's guess, but I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect. Kerry, though he seems an honorable, strong individual, is a senator, one negative against him that will be used against him by the GOP, guaranteed. His voting record does not put him in good standing with those disaffected voters who're always on the fence until it's time to cast their ballot. Already the GOP has Kerry looking like a two-faced, money hound with the revelation that he's received more PAC/special interest money than any other senator. Stack the fact that he's vacillated on Iraq (opposed war in '91, voted for it in '01) on top of that and one can easily see what the Republican strategy will be to undermine Kerry. Forget about a clean race based on the issues and facts. It's going to be a nasty, dirty campaign and I'm betting both candidates will come out the other side brutalized and bloody. But given that Bush has the national pulpit and he's launched the nation on the path of war, it will be tough for the electorate to change generals in the middle of a fight.

That's my take.

Peace.