Reply #11: I went back and forth between Dean and Kerry

[bklyncowgirl]

I liked Dean's combativeness and the thought that if we were going to lose at least we'd go down swinging. I was concerned about his lack of experience in foreign policy and his lack of experience in media campeigning.

I'd followed Kerry since the Iran Contra days and had always had him on my list of people I would like to see run for President. I thought he had the best combination of experience and gravitas. I was concerned about his rather lackadaisical campeign style and his lack of fire.

Being a contrarian I would have voted for Kerry had I voted in the Iowa caucuses and for Dean in the New Hampshire primary and later. I guess Dean's post scream damage control worked on me and I also thought he was being screwed all around. Since I live in New Jersey by the time the campeign got to me it was just Kerry, Kucinich and Sharpton, I felt it was better to give Kerry a big margin than to register a protest vote for Kucinich with whom I agree on just about every issue.

What a difference a year makes. I did not fully trust Clark back during the primaries. Having watched him for about a year now, I've come to appreciate the General. I've likewise come to appreciate that Dean's lack of foreign policy experience is more than made up by his savvy--he has a habit of being right. I think that my concerns about Kerry's lack of fire were sadly borne out by the campeign.

In the end, none of these guys were perfect.