The Poisoned Chalice

At least when Duffy's Circus left Youghal there'd be piles of dung from the elephant and the horses. The Kerry campaign leaves nothing of fertilizing potential, not a single creative idea, only grim advisories like not running any nominee from the Northeast in 2008, and we all know the probable life span of that piece of useful advice.

How quickly the caravan moves on! The Brookings crowd sadly pull their résumés from the fax machines. John Kerry resumes his ghostlike sojourn in the Senate, where he might apply himself to improving his attendance record, the worst in the upper chamber. He missed no less than 76 percent of the Senate Intelligence Committee's public hearings over the course of his eight-year tenure on that committee. Teresa returns to full-time work at the Heinz Foundation, dispensing money to neoliberal environmental groups, though, alas, she has had to dispense with the wise counsel of Ken Lay, formerly of Enron, who adorned her board of advisers until last year.

Pockets of Kerrycrats fight on, like Japanese soldiers on atolls in the Pacific. No doubt there are 527s out there, still nourishing themselves on the money of men like Soros. There's even been some talk about Kerry keeping his hat in the presidential ring, but we shouldn't take that too seriously. Over the next few months his horselike visage will fade in the murk of memory.

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