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I see the results in Iowa as a second and possibly last chance for the Kerry campaign. Because Iowa is a caucus state, the results are decided by a more committed group of voters than is typical, and I think more of them "looked under the hood" of the campaigns at the actual stands and records of the candidates.
If you take the trouble, Kerry's record and positions shine. But his campaign so far has been mediocre to awful. He needs to raise some real money above the Heinz fortune. He needs to differentiate himself from the other candidates. Above all, he needs to get assertive and positive, and start running against George Bush instead of running against Howard Dean.
Potshots at Dean won't do anything but hurt him if he is the eventual nominee. And there's no way he can expect swing voters to "look under the hood" in the national election. If he can't get busy and learn how to sell himself (or find someone else who can really do it), he would be dead weight as the nominee.
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