HE CAN DO FOR ME WHAT HE DID FOR TANK BOY:

Ex-Dukakis Aide to Help Kerry With DNC (RON FOURNIER, 4/02/04, AP)

John Kerry, seizing control of his party Friday, tapped Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign manager to represent his interests at the Democratic National Committee.

John Sasso, 56, was named general election manager of the DNC, a position created by the Kerry campaign and the DNC staff to give the nominee-in-waiting control of the party without upsetting the current structure. [...]

Sasso is the latest in a long string of Boston associates and allies of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who have joined the campaign since late last year, when Kerry's political fortunes looked grim. His hiring came amid tensions inside the Kerry campaign: A key part of his ad-making team, Jim Margolis, gave up his position as a senior adviser over a financial dispute. Bob Shrum, who shared ad-making duties, has gained full control.

Sasso, a longtime confidant of Dukakis, organized and ran the Massachusetts governor's presidential run in its earliest stages. He was forced to step down in September 1987 after acknowledging that he had given reporters a videotape that showed rival Joe Biden using the oratory of a British politician without attribution. The revelation set off further disclosures, including charges of plagiarism in law school, that forced the Delaware senator from the race.

The quality of his decision making is so poor, one gets the feeling that Mr. Kerry is going to pull an Eagleton with his VP pick and have to replace whoever his first choice is.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 2, 2004 6:07 PM