With his op-ed piece in the New York Times on Wednesday; his remarks on Meet the Press this past Sunday; and his e-mail and online petition calling for a withdrawal from Iraq today–John Kerry has broken ranks with a silent Democratic leadership and joined the likes of Russ Feingold and John Murtha in taking a strong position against the war.

In addition to his new stance, it is good to hear that the man who wasn’t known for punchiness on the campaign trail is striving for, in his own words, "pretty simple messages" such as, "Tell the truth. Fire the incompetents. Get out of Iraq. Have health care for all Americans."

And while Kerry didn’t say he will run again in 2008 there are sure signs he is back on the trail: his non-answer on Meet the Press and reports by Washington insiders that he is planning to set up a national security think tank in the nation’s capital (just what the city needs–the heck with voting rights, how about another think tank?) in an effort to bolster his "strong on defense" image.

But there are still signs of lessons not yet learned. On Meet the Press, Kerry said his campaign’s biggest mistake was to not spend more money on commercials to combat the Swift Boat lies. But it wasn’t about money or more commercials–it was about his own will and guts and fighting instinct.

Nevertheless, this has been a good week for Kerry when it comes to will and guts. Let’s hope he builds on it–and that his Democratic colleagues do the same.