After ignoring any and all evidence that Florida was gamed in 2000, Kerry, and the Democratic leadership did the exact same thing in Ohio in 2004. I'd almost think that they prefer minority party status. As long as the money keeps coming in.

How can two such smart men (AL Gore&John Kerry) make such a disasterous mistake? especially Kerry since he knew what happened in Florida in 2000.Both decisions by the Democrats let the Supreme Court make the most unqualified monkey in history president who has tried to destroy our constitution and made every friend we had around the world mad at America.

who in a more perfect world would be the Democratic candidate for President in '08.

I'd quit my job and take to the road to campaign for her.

What I associate most with the Kerry campaign was a strong impression that the man never did really want the presidency. I believe that behind the much-maligned pedantic speaking style and general listlessness was his true reluctance To Be King.

He's no actor and so was unable to employ the skills that might have hid his reluctance. If you have ever attended a lecture class, been part of an advertising presentation or a jury trial, you just know who's in it to win it. There is an expansiveness of gestures, a crackling speed to the speech, a passionate expression in the voice.

Kerry's verbal and physical passivity betrayed him at every turn. It was never a surprise to me that he allowed himself to be Swift Boated and to be "counted out."

The entire Kerry episode always reminded me of a corporate promotion, where a guy who was happy doing the real work was made manager but was miserable about it.

I remember listening to the Randi Rhodes show a while ago, when they were discussing the Ohio vote. Can't remember who her guest was but he was discussing how livid John Edwards was at Kerry for conceding so fast. They had the exit polls showing they had won, and the "official" results showing Bush won. Exit polls are never wrong because they ask people right after they have voted. It's how they verify an election was fair in 3rd world countries, by comparing the exit polls to the official results. If they match, the election was fair. If they don't, it's evidence of fraud. The reason Kerry choose not to contest the election results was because he was afraid they'd be called names. "They'll call us sore losers" he told Edwards. Because Kerry was afraid of being called a sore-loser he allowed Bush to steal the election. Kerry is typical of almost every elected dem in congress. Afraid of being called "weak on terror" or "unamerican", they refuse to stand up.

I put up with Kerry getting the nomination over better candidates, I put up with Kerry letting the lying Swift Boat shills run roughshod over him, and I put up with Kerry having no charisma or even apparent interest in being president when there are handlers and trainers and the man is smart enough himself to know that he needed to exhibit some sort of personality.

But I did not put up with and will never forgive Kerry for WINNING the 2004 election and then going back on his promise to the people who voted for him to FIGHT for their votes if there was even a suspicion that he did win and was being denied the office.

Elizabeth Edwards is just one reason why, in a more perfect world, John Edwards would be leagues ahead of Hillary and Obama right now.

Well of course Ohio was a fixed race. When the exit polls don't match the vote, there's a problem. I also suspect New Mexico and Florida were rigged..in one way or another. If it wasn't the actual Diebold voting machines with no verifiable paper trail then it was making the people likely to vote Democratic wait in long lines when likely Republican voters did not have to. It was rigged and Gore's election was rigged too and the bushies were appointed by their friends in the Supreme Court. These guys are a bunch of crooks. Crooked war profiteers the whole lot of 'em. Go John! (but I'd rather vote for Elizabeth).

It is a fantasy, held by many of you, that we have two ideologically-separate political parties in this country...

He showed the same wishy-washy determination in his feeble attempt to defuse the Swift Boat attack, and his wobbly-kneed response to the last minute bin laden video taped scare on the eve of the election.

In both cases he should have pused back really hard. Blasting Bush's disgraceful AWOL service, and using the surprise bin Laden tape as reason, not to be afraid, but to point out laden's appearance was due in large part to the fact Bush let the real 911 culprits escape at Tora Bora and, instead, begin an illegal, preemptive war in Iraq.

So, that he walked away from the Ohio election theft should surprise no one. It was nauseating and painful to see the outcome decided by his unbelievable unwillingness to fight.

Regardless of whether 2004 was stolen or not, E. Edwards continues to impress. Her smackdown of Ann Coulter was golden, and maybe its precisely because she doesn't hold office that she gets this fearlessness. She still puts her party to shame.

Another story about a Democratic leader who lacks the guts to confront the GOP?

Whooda thunk?

In closing, this Iraq incursion MUST be ended.

The Gore (2000) and Kerry (2004) concessions remain irritating as hell, although on the bright side, it at least outed the GOP's politics, strategies, and tactics more brazenly than if they had been able to pretend they were for law and order and so on.

But the Democratic tendency to pull punches (or avoid taking swings at all) goes way back -- I mean, when Reagan's Iran-Contra operation was revealed, the Dems were afraid of impeachment proceedings, because of the shadow of Watergate.

And after the insanity of the GOP's Monicagate (which, in light of their aversion to rule of law and anybody but them being in power, takes on a curious light, like a preview of what was to come post-2000), the Dems again walked around on tiptoes, immediately brushed impeachment off the table, which does this country no service at all.

It's always "for the good of the country" that the Democrats refrain from playing the political hardball the GOP gleefully pursues, but to be honest, lopsided partisanship isn't good for the country, either, as the Bush Years surely demonstrate. Sometimes you just have to take a swing, instead of taking a dive.

Good for Elizabeth Edwards for calling bullshit when she sees it. Hopefully more Democrats will do that.