teacherken's musings on everything

MORNING GROUNDHOG DAY

A few brief thoughts to start off this school week.

In politics - Kerry is not "getting the treatment" - starting with the Isikoff piece in Newsweek about things like Johnny Chung and some of the Senator's less than savory dealings. This has the feel of something being fed by someone else. I wonder if the source may have been Chris Lehane, the super oppo-researcher: if Kerry had useed him to do self -oppo, then when Lehane left he might have taken his dirt with him. Only a guess.

I have now seen in print something I suggested a while ago - that Bush actually might decide not to run. His ego is so great that if he thinks he really might lose like his father, i would expect him to pull out. David Kay's testimony forces him to appoint an independent commission to examine the Iraq war intelligence. That means he now has 2 independent commissions rooting through his administration [and remember, he has chosen to keep on George Tenet]. And given questions about that intelligence, it may be harder for him to shut down the Kean commission on 9-11 intelligence etc. Add to that that his credibility is now seriously being questions because of not being forthright about the costs of his medicare prescription drug coverage, and he is starting to bleed, as shown by the reaction to his SOTU. And his new budget, with over half a trillion in deficit and which does not yet include ANY funding for Iraq is simply neither believable or acceptable.

Who wold replace him if he didn't run? And what would happen to his campaign war chest? I think in the latter case he could turn it over to the party or to a charity, but not to an individual candidate. As to a possible replacement? How can anyone who is part of this administration have the credibility to move in? The most acceptable to the general public would probably be Powell, but I do not know if the conservatives who control the party mechanism would agree. I would think that it would be someone who holds current high office but is not directly associated with Bush. I do not think McCain - despite his campaigning for the Republicans, Bush loylaists would fight and there is the issue of his health. I think it could be a real surprise - someone like Chuck hagel, Sen from NE, for example.

Of course,, this is way too premature... except remember that Lyndon Johnson pulled out in April after winning (as a write-in) the NH primary over McCarthy [gee, that primary was in March!!!!).

Superbowl - I watched NONE of it. Thus I was spared the inanity of the halftime show. Further, I didn't have to fulminate over what CBS considered acceptable advertising when they refused to show the MoveON.org ad. Sometimes we are blessed in strange ways.

Now time to go to school.