Outside Counsel

Here's a good example of why John Kerry is useless. Four years ago it was widely reported that he had reached out to John McCain as a potential running mate. the story appears to be true-- even McCain says he was approached, but he now denies that he was interested. The NYTimes now reports that, "Mr. Kerry declined last week to discuss his conversations with Mr. McCain, but three former Kerry strategists said that Mr. McCain had not immediately dismissed the notion of sharing the Democratic ticket. “McCain did not flat-out say no, regardless of what he’s saying now,” said one strategist who asked not to be named. “He was interested in this discussion.”

Some straight talk, from someone, would seem to be in order here, but Kerry refuses. Part of this is the culture of the Senate, and part of it may well be attributable to personal friendship between the two men, but it seems to me that Kerry has now made himself complicit in the myth of John McCain. Since persona seems to be all that McCain has going, Kerry might just as as well go out and stump for him. Kerry's judgment is questionable on the basis of the proposal itself, (something that McCain seems to acknowledge), but we are entitled to know, I think. Is the Straight Talker giving us the goods? If McCain would come out and say it-- "I felt ill-used by the Bush wing of the Republican Party, and I respect John Kerry. The offer was tempting, but I decided to wait and run on my own," then I'd say he really is the no-bullshit guy he's supposed to be. For Kerry it is a little more difficult. He has endorsed Obama, but the fact that he made the offer to McCain means that he reckoned McCain was qualified for the job. Once again his nuanced mind has painted him into a corner.