Pay attention, Mr. Gore

John Kerry says he will filibuster the Sam Alito vote in the Senate. With 55 Republicans and three Democrats committed to voting for Alito’s confirmation, the chances seem strong 60 votes can be found to overturn Kerry's filibuster and force cloture, probably from Gang of 14 Democrats.

But likely to succeed or not, this is how a defeated presidential candidate should act. With his failure in 2004 well documented, Kerry is not likely to be taken seriously as a candidate again in 2008. TV pundits focusing more on name recognition than beltway facts of life may think otherwise, but the party needs to move on rather than dwell on defeats. Both John Kerry and the Democratic leadership know this, so Kerry’s chances of getting the Dem nomination in 2008 are exactly nil. Kerry’s seat in the Senate, however, is safe. So what do you do when your current position is safe but you have no chance of moving up? You take risks. You be the guy who jumps out ahead of the pack and attacks when others are afraid. You take the chance at maybe losing a fight in order to make sure it’s fought in the first place. Above all, you make waves.

Good work, Mr. Kerry.

Tags: politics