In the Woods With John Kerry

In the Woods With John Kerry
On the Campaign Trail, the Low Spots Are Places to Rest and Regroup
By Hanna Rosin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 16, 2003; Page D01

One in a series of reports from the New Hampshire primary campaign

LITCHFIELD, N.H. -- This state, always compliant, offers a backdrop for every campaign message. For a new jobs program, a paper mill. For college loans, a school cafeteria. And for a campaign in turmoil, a nature hike that leads to a soothing, yet dynamic rush of waters.

"I'm told deer hang out here," says Sen. John Kerry, pointing toward the banks of the Merrimack River, where just now the fog is lifting. Cameramen crowd the narrow trail behind him, tripping over the loose vines. Still, Kerry is determined to carve out a contemplative space: "I imagine if you come down here when it's quiet, it must be really beautiful," he tells a local environmentalist. Then for a long time, he turns around and stares out onto the river, so that in photos of the event he appears to be alone.

At their most painful, presidential campaigns can be an occasion for a public identity crisis. How one weathers these moments depends on the candidate's personality. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), who lately announces a campaign relaunch just about every month, keeps a vaudeville good humor about it: A Joevember to Remember! Operation Liebermania!

Kerry, with his doleful brow, his old-man-of-the-mountain profile, does not wear the upheavals lightly. As a soldier in Vietnam he retreated to his typewriter to express his ambivalence about the war. Last Sunday evening, just before he announced he had fired his campaign manager and unleashed a week of headlines about where his campaign had gone wrong, Kerry was spotted walking in Boston Common at night, alone. (He says it was early evening, and his wife was with him.)

more.....................

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46403-2003Nov15.html

Dean should treasure Joe Trippi--Dean's fine as a candidate, but I doubt I would even know who the hell he was without Trippi.