Kamark on John & Joe ...
Edwards, Lieberman Sinking Fast
Elaine Kamark apparently has now taken over the role of imitating the American Idol judges, as she critiques the non-Dean herd of Democratic contenders. The parallels are a bit weak and the points simplistic, but still ... Kamark is hardly just any commentator. She's worked with Joe's DLC, been a policy advisor for Clinton, and naturally, threw out everything she learned in writing The Politics of Evasion when she went to work for the Gore campaign and never made a peep about Donna Brazile's "Four Pillars" strategy.
While I don't disagree that the race is effectively over, the lack of concern for ideas and ideals within the party should be a major sticking point with at least a few ... or so you'd think. Kamark doesn't go so far as suggesting the race is over, but thus far, she's winnowed the pack down to a mere sampling of candidates: Dean, Gephardt, Kerry, & Clark ... and I'm not sure what the heck is keeping her from lumping Kerry into the dustbin of history. Maybe next column.