The question is why was it not a landslide. Kerry ran the most incompetent campaign in recent memory, with the major players being people who should be repugnant to the average American - Theresa, et al.
I'm starting to wonder if Howard Feinman was correct in his prediction that the media was worth 15 points to Kerry. At the time he was speculating that Kerry would be 15 points up, but without the 24//7 media bucket brigade carrying his water, I believe Kerry would have been 15 points DOWN. With all their hard work and the media's "15 points", the best he can do is finish 3-5 points down.