HE COULDN'T EVEN BEAT JIMMY CARTER:

In Middle of the Kerry Storm, a Man Known to Whirlwinds (DAVID M. HALBFINGER, 11/12/03, NY Times)

As Democratic strategists go, Bob Shrum has long been considered one of the heavyweights: a talented speechwriter, an expert at debate preparations, an ideologically committed liberal who has a knack for distilling the essence of a candidate's message into a slogan, sound bite or 30-second commercial.

So in February, when Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts was riding high in the presidential preseason, seemingly well on his way to becoming the nominee, it was considered a coup when he added Mr. Shrum to a campaign team already crowded with consultants and advisers.

Now, with Mr. Kerry's campaign battling for survival in New Hampshire and embroiled in turmoil and infighting — his press secretary and deputy finance director walked out the door on Tuesday, following the abrupt dismissal of his campaign manager — the talk is less about Mr. Shrum's gifts and more about what some are acidly describing, in this toxic environment, as the Shrum curse.

As prominent and well-traveled a figure as Mr. Shrum is — alter ego to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, consultant to four presidential candidates and many senators — there is one thing he has never accomplished: advising a successful presidential campaign.

You have to have been blind to the last twenty four years of American politics to believe that what your presidential campaign needs is Ted Kennedy's alter ego running it.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 12, 2003 8:22 AM