Kerry vs. Bush, 2004?

Sure looks that way doesn't it? Latest poll round up shows Kerry taking tonight on Clark's and Edwards' supposed turf. I would figure that Kerry's people might send out quiet feelers to the Edwards camp about being the possible VEEP. Don't see them trying to recruit Clark.

Meanwhile, in the Dean camp, just how angry are they? Kerry's people would love to get Dean off to the sidelines but the anger factor may keep Dean in.

Then there is the recent Gore outburst. Dean's Iowa speech could be explained by exuberance but Gore was really going way over the top! Don't know what that is all about? Seems to me that Gore's political judgement is nowhere near as sharp as Clinton's. Clinton won the nomination and the Presidency while Gore's run for the nomination faltered prior to 2000. Clinton ran on the centrist DLC platform while Gore ran to the left of that in 2000 and lost an election he should have won easily. Clinton didn't endorse anybody this year while Gore got onboard with Dean who imploded. And now Gore has gotten on the trash Bush bandwagon and sounded like some of those off the political spectrum people you hear on the left part of the FM dial. (UPDATE: I'm thinking of KPFK generally and Robert Scheer of KCRW's Left, Right and Center specifically.)

With the economy still struggling and the war in Iraq ongoing, Bush's re-election chances are not great, probably 51-49. But if the attack plan is to dwell on Iraq intelligence failure and National Guard service, Bush gets re-elected more easily.