Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) reopened the door to a possible 2008 presidential campaign during a book signing in Denver and then again, in an interview with 9NEWS.Nope. Sorry. You had your chance and you blew it.
The 2004 Democratic nominee told a crowd of more than 250 at the Tattered Cover bookstore in lower downtown Denver that he had no desire to endorse any candidate for the office right now, choosing to wait to see how they addressed the issue of global warming.
Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, are finishing up a nationwide tour to promote their book, "This Moment on Earth," which highlights successful efforts at the local level to better the environment.
Afterwards, while answering a question from a viewer on the program YOUR SHOW about why he chose not to run, Kerry said he had decided it wasn't the right time.
"Could that change?" Kerry said. "It might. It may change over years. It may change over months. I can't tell you, but I've said very clearly I don't consider myself out of it forever."
I backed Mr. Kerry's campaign in 2004 out of a strong sense that things would get a lot worse if Mr. Bush was re-elected (gee, I got that one right for once), but I was thoroughly unimpressed with his campaign style, his lack of fire and passion for engagement in the campaign, and his complete cluelessness in countering the right-wing buzz saw that everyone else and their dog saw coming at him.
As a former boss of mine once noted when he fired someone, "everyone deserves a second chance -- someplace else." While the Democratic field isn't perfect, and it will never be, I am content to let Mr. Kerry continue on doing the fine job he has been doing representing the state of Massachusetts in the Senate.
