The Kerry Gambit?

Far be it from me to be cynical. But the thought that crossed my mind, despite the fact that John Kerry's announcement that he is not running for President in 2008 truly did seem heartfelt, is that he has a secret plan. He has decided that his goal is to end the Iraq war. Fair enough. We can quibble with the monomaniacal nature of personalizing such a quest, but criticizing politicians for their self-centeredness seems too easy. What I see going through Kerry's head, at least somewhere in the transom, is that he will mount this charge furiously, his work will have some effect, and the Democratic masses will look to him and demand that he run. They will enlist him. And when called, thinks Senator Kerry, of course he will serve.

The problem with this approach (other than that I am making it up out of whole cloth, I mean) is that Kerry is not the compellingly draftable type. But on top of that, if anyone has set himself up to stand, rather than run, for office, isn't it Al Gore? And if the Democrats are faced with a choice of spurned Democratic nominees to insist upon running, isn't Gore so obviously more appealing that Kerry is destined (in my concocted scenario) to feel spurned thrice?

I think John Kerry is a good man who has served his country nobly and well. He has many years to develop and grow as a Senator. Never becoming president need not be a mark of shame. I hope that his recent moves have come as a result of a realization that the Oval office is simply not in the cards, and not out of some cynical last-ditch gambit.