BOB SHRUM - did he Help or Hurt?

Bob Shrum has done a lot of good, especially in state races, but my own impression is that he does not know how to run a presidential campaign. I don't think it's all coincidence that he's 0 for 8 in presidential races.

And the more I read about the internal dynamics of the Kerry campaign (taking it with a grain of salt - it could all be b.s.), the stories, if true, seem to point to Shrum having somewhat hampered the campaign. Not only did he urge Kerry not to respond to the Swift Boat allegations, he apparently was constantly urging a populist message over talking about national security. He was in effect, for ceding that to Bush. It was Shrum's idea to have a convention that didn't criticize Bush (Kerry, at least according to Newsweek, wanted to blast Bush). Shrum seemed to write a lot of speeches that really didn't suit Kerry - and it showed, b/c Kerry's delivery was often flat if he didn't like the speech he was giving. Moreover, IF Newsweek is correct, Shrum apparently fired the brilliant young speechwriter who came up the "Bring it On"-theme Kerry used so well in the primaries.

If these allegations are true, I think it's a good thing that Shrum is probably finished in presidential campaigns.

Any thoughts?