The second time, farce

Here we go again:

It's almost as if Sen. John Kerry never stopped running for president. He still jets across the country, raising millions of dollars and rallying Democrats. He still stalks the TV news show circuit, scolding President Bush at every turn.

His campaign Web site boasts of an online army of 3 million supporters.

The Massachusetts Democrat, defeated by Bush in 2004, insists it is far too early to talk about the 2008 race, but some analysts assume he has already positioning himself for another shot at the White House.

"Obviously, Kerry has all but said he wants another crack at the thing," said Neal Thigpen, a political science professor at South Carolina's Francis Marion University. "He's going to make a second try."

With most people already handicapping a Hillary! run in 2008, I doubt Kerry has much of a chance for a second bite at the apple, but we all know that the guy practically sees the presidency as a birthright.

Anyway, we'll see how this all turns out. Two years is a long time in politics, and Kerry may yet change his mind. In the meantime, some people (even besides James Taranto) are holding out hope that he'll be the Dem nominee again:

Kerry's image as a Northeast liberal with fuzzy views on major issues like Iraq would make him vulnerable once more, said [Ronald] Kaufman, who was White House political director for Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush.

"I go to bed every night praying Kerry is the nominee again," he said.

Somehow, I doubt that's the kind of endorsement he's looking for.