So John Kerry is out. I like John Kerry. I think he would have made a good president, though he might have ended up regretting getting saddled with untangling President Bush's disaster in Iraq. And I think he ran a much better campaign than the conventional wisdom now allows. But for all that, I'm very glad to hear he's not going to mount another campaign in 2008.

But in modern presidential politics (say, going back a hundred years almost) you don't get a second chance and probably shouldn't. I think he shouldn't have run because I suspect it would have been next to impossible for him to claim the nomination again -- with the mix of strong opposing candidates, bad feelings from 2004 and the 'botched joke' incident from last campaign. And I'd hate to see him lose like that. Better to remain a long-serving senator and former nominee.

Like a lot of you I suspect, I feel torn in these sorts of situations. I don't want to give in to web of slurs and smears and character assassination that now still clings to Kerry.

But the issue seems best handled at the most practical level.

He wouldn't have been the best candidate so best that he didn't run at all.