I've been out of the loop for a few days...

..is there a strategic reason for Kerry's vacation right now? To me, it looks weak, at a time when Bush has a PR blitz going on. Is there some value in laying back right now?

This is the month in which public opinion of Kerry will be framed by the GOP and the media.

This is the week when Bush is defending his Iraq policy.

It's the WRONG time for vacation. Considering what's at stake, I don't think any vacation is due the Dem candidate until the vote is in.

"This is the month in which public opinion of Kerry will be framed by the GOP and the media."

No disrespect intended, but it sounds as if you've been watching too many of those CNN/MSNBC/FAUX astrologers.

You sound a bit naive about campaign politics.

like pundit blather.

Nevertheless, we are on the same side.

Cheers to you.

If he really wants to take the country back from the extremists, then he should forego any vacation until the country is out of Bush's control.

This vacation weakens the "urgency" of taking the country back and fighting for what you believe in.

If he was in isolated retreat, working on strategy, maybe there would be a reason, but seeing pictures of him snowboarding, while soldiers are dying in Iraq doesn't help the cause.

Bushco is going to dominate the week with their Iraq invasion celebration. :puke:

Kerry does not to get into a pissing contest with the media over this issue. Kerry's surrogates are doing a good job countering bushco's crass puffery. We've seen Richard Holbrooke, Wes Clark, Bob Graham, Terry McAuliffe and Howard Dean defending our side. And to a lesser extent, Joe, "I want McCain as V.P." Biden (:puke:) and John McCain. :puke:

Now he has to rest for the ASS-whuppin he's gonna give Bush in November!

http://www.wgoeshome.com

But in the meantime, the papers have been filled with pictures of Kerry skiing, snowboarding, hiking, etc. Good athletic stuff. It'll help.

...other party leaders should be out there being visable and on message while he's taking a break. Just because he's resting doesn't mean the campaign should go into neutral.

The right wing is going crazy trying to define him early on, and he takes a vacation?

It weakens the argument that Bush takes too many vacations.

Unless they have some plan that we don't know about, this was no time for a vacation.

What if Kerry comes back to find out the media buried him while he was away?

I hope we don't have to look back on this "vacation" in November and wonder what could have been.

Those who underestimate John Kerry's political skills have tended to be on the losing side.

If I'm wrong, Kerry's right and Bush loses. If I'm right, Kerry's wrong and we're in trouble.

I'd rather be wrong in this case. :)

....the other leaders of the party as well as his campaign staff should be front and center doing rapid response. He needs Carville and Stephenopolis. I remember seeing their faces all over the place every time Bush #1 said one word about Bill Clinton.

He's been kept off the slopes all winter and deserves a few days of shreddin.

rest as well.

CNN's split screen running pictures of Kerry snowboarding while bush rallying the crowd with accounts of Kerry flip-flops.

BTW, forget about shooting the messenger; I do not believe Kerry flip-flopped. I do believe that legislators have long voting records that can be misrepresented. The problem, as grasswire has raised here, is that rove fully intends to use this period to define Kerry to the nation.

I noticed that several surrogates have been promoting Kerry and knocking down some of the worst memes; however, this vacation does have its downside. IMHO, the most negative aspect of the trip would be the perception of wealth. The GOP has carefully crafted the misconception that bush is "just folks." Kerry can take any trip they want as far as I am concerned, and yet, I wish they had chosen some downtime that seemed less posh.

her early campaign days w/George in their Chevy "Cutlass". If her speech writer, Karen Hughes, had done her homework, she'd know that Oldsmobile makes the Cutlass.

What a phoney.