[Qwinn]

"He is like Dean in slow motion. Very, very slow."

Nah. He isn't slow (at self-destructing). It's the media that's slow. Kerry made just as many gaffes during the primaries, it's just that the media was focusing on Dean. With the spotlight on him, it took about 3 months for Dean to implode. Kerry's only had the spotlight for, what, a month now? I predict Kerry will actually flame out -faster- than Dean, and he will spontaneously combust sometime over the next 90 days. Note - the media will not recognize this, it will be true in the real world however. If it hadn't been for Dean's actual rejection at the polls, if the primaries were still a couple months away, Dean would -still- be the media darling even after the primal scream.

Qwinn

[Monti Cello]

I think the best possible outcome would be for the media to keep propping up Kerry and the hopes of the libs, only to get a surprise landslide smackdown, a la 1994.

In the wake of such an event some libs would get dispirited, some would absolutely ape-whacko to a whole new degree.

This might kick off a bloodletting/feedback process for the Dems they might not recover from as a party. The freaks will get more freaky and scare off the moderates. They will try unprecedented monkeywrenching of the gov't through illegitmate avenues, and really offend the mainstream. P>The Dems would be looking at defeat to their worst enemy ever, and facing no sign of control in any branch of gov't for at least 4 years, and maybe much longer. Wishful thinking...but hey!

[gitmo]

Kerry's only had the spotlight for, what, a month now? I predict Kerry will actually flame out -faster- than Dean, and he will spontaneously combust sometime over the next 90 days.

I've been of this opinion myself, but I don't know what that means. Let's say Kerry disinegrates immediately after the Rat convention. Will some left-wing judge rule that the laws don't apply because the country needs a race between 2 big parties? This has certainly happened in state races. Would they appoint a substitute candidate for the Rats?