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As Howard Dean’s campaign manager, I saw a front-running Kerry campaign literally fall asleep in the early months of 2003 because they knew they had the nomination won. Then our little ragtag Dean campaign gathered steam while the Kerry campaign spent nine months walking in its sleep. By the end of the long summer of 2003, the Kerry campaign’s slumber was so pronounced that many thought it dead.
As alarm bells finally woke the Kerry campaign. John Kerry moved his entire campaign to Iowa, and to Kerry and his campaign team’s credit they pulled off an amazing come-from-behind victory and stormed on to gain his party’s nomination.
If only it were that simple now................
The big difference is that they are not facing the under-funded campaigns of Dick Gephardt, Joe Lieberman, and John Edwards. Nor are they facing the energized but woefully inexperienced campaign of Howard Dean.
They are facing the most monied campaign in history, among the most experienced campaign teams ever, and the most deceptive campaign since Richard Nixon’s............
And that is the difference this time as well. The Kerry campaign is no where near dead, the campaign is very much alive. And if instead of sleep walking, we see the Kerry we all saw in Iowa emerge in the next few days and run to daylight in November, he still can win this thing.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5886869/