For Kerry, Playing Catch-up

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Overtaken by Dean, Senator Seeks to Revive Campaign

Monday, September 1, 2003; Page A01

As the make-or-break fall campaign season commences for the Democratic presidential contenders, Sen. John F. Kerry -- once considered by many the front-runner for the nomination -- is struggling to catch fire in early voting states and adapt to the sudden and race-altering surge of rival Howard Dean.

Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts and a Vietnam war hero, has lost significant ground to Dean in recent months, as he has come under fire for sounding ambivalent on the Iraq war and for failing to connect with the antiwar, anti-Bush voters dominating the nominating process. He has struck many Democrats as aloof and indecisive, even as advisers sought to portray him as the only candidate with the stature and stamina to defeat President Bush. Several Democrats said Kerry's campaign often reflects the key weakness of Al Gore's in 2000: relying too heavily on a team of big-name strategists and too little on letting the candidate run loose.

"I don't think I've kicked my campaign off sufficiently," Kerry said yesterday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I am going to reach out to the country and be as clear as a bell about the leadership I offer." Kerry will officially announce his candidacy Tuesday in South Carolina and will run his first political ads of the campaign this week.

Kerry has plenty of time, money and skills to catch up, fellow Democrats say. The campaign, by historical standards, is in its infancy. Nine candidates have been running for eight months, but polls show few voters have tuned in long enough to recognize many, if any, of the faces. The next four-plus months, however, will be decisive.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8597-2003Aug31.html