Should Bob Graham bow out?

[ringmastery]

Editorial in the Orlando Sentinel today thinks he should.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edped211082103aug21,0,3815970.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines

Our position: For his sake and Florida's, he should drop out of the presidential race.

Sen. Bob Graham and his senior political advisers face a choice when they meet this weekend to discuss strategy for his presidential bid: Try to fix a foundering campaign, or bow to political reality by bowing out.

The second option is best for the Miami Lakes Democrat and his Florida constituents. It's time for him to quit the presidential race and declare his intention to run again for the Senate seat he has so ably filled for three terms.

Mr. Graham has not closed the door on running for re-election. But the longer he continues his long-shot bid for president, the more he risks diminishing his effectiveness as a senator.

Mr. Graham has built a reputation as one of the Senate's most authoritative and respected voices on a wide range of issues, from intelligence to foreign policy to health care to homeland security. His influence was peaking as he launched his presidential campaign earlier this year.

But in refashioning himself as a Democratic candidate for president, Mr. Graham has moved away from the moderate, bipartisan approach he has successfully followed in Washington. His shifts to the political left and partisanship during the campaign already have alienated political moderates in Florida.