The Hindu : Exploiting the Big `Mo'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 26, 2004

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Exploiting the Big `Mo'

By Julian Coman

The John Kerry comeback in Monday's lowa caucuses has provided a sudden twist to the Democratic race for the presidential nomination.

EMOTIONS WERE already running high last week among the United States war veterans in Manchester, New Hampshire, when John Kerry picked out the slight figure of Michael Medeiros, sitting in a row of decorated former war heroes. Max Cleland, the Georgia Senator, who lost an arm and both legs in Vietnam, had warmed up the audience with a quote from Shakespeare: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.'' Then Mr. Kerry, the new front-runner of the Democrats for next week's crucial New Hampshire primary explained the presence of Mr. Medeiros and three other former Vietnam comrades. The audience applauded wildly as it emerged that the first time Mr. Medeiros had given backing to their candidate was on February 25, 1969, during a raid through the jungles of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Now Mr. Medeiros had come to try to help his captain become President of the United States.

At the beginning of January, when Howard Dean led the field in this small north-eastern State by more than 20 opinion poll points, there was perhaps cause to say that the Democratic presidential race had become a trifle dull. Not any more. War heroes, formerly taciturn wives and upside-down polls have all made an appearance during the past week in the lead-up to Tuesday's crucial New Hampshire primary. The John Kerry comeback in Monday's Iowa caucuses, in which he overtook and eventually trounced Mr. Dean, led the fiery former Governor of Vermont to lose his voice, his temper and his presidential aura all at once. Then Mr. Kerry's lead in New Hampshire prompted Mr. Dean's wife, Judith Steinberg, to make her first ever appearance on national television. She claimed, to nationwide scepticism, that Mr. Dean hardly ever loses his temper. The extraordinary turnaround in the polls has created a mildly hysterical atmosphere in all campaign headquarters.

Among Mr. Kerry's serious rivals, however, allies are being chosen and battle plans have been drawn up from scratch. General Wesley Clark, who is third and rising in New Hampshire polls, surrounds himself with expensively-dressed advisers from former Clinton administrations. Mr. Dean, who is still losing percentage points daily since the Iowa debacle, consults with increasingly crestfallen "Deaniacs" in orange ski hats. His more senior advisers have told him to steer clear of the war in Iraq and keep his voice down.

Mr. Kerry continues to work the veterans who provide his national security credentials against George Bush. The former lieutenant's Vietnam background was already well known. But suddenly, following his triumph in the Iowa caucuses, everyone is listening. Miraculously, after a summer and autumn in the doldrums, Mr. Kerry has acquired what the first President Bush described as the "Big Mo" — campaign momentum.

As Tuesday's crucial New Hampshire primary vote approaches, latest polls suggest that he has a 12-point lead. Two weeks ago, he trailed Mr. Dean by more than 20 points. Few candidates have ever won both Iowa and New Hampshire and failed to win the Democratic nomination. Not surprisingly, Mr. Kerry has begun to ooze the kind of confidence he conspicuously lacked while living in the shadow of Mr. Dean.

Compassionate patriotism, contrasted with President Bush's push to regime change in Iraq and tax cuts at home, is becoming Mr. Kerry's stock-in-trade on the stump. As they prepare for a possible famous double victory, even his most enthusiastic followers appear to have adopted a military discipline that a Vietnam veteran would admire.

On Thursday evening, Mr. Dean and Gen. Clarkhad long since entered St. Anselm's College for a two-hour debate. But Senator John Kerry was yet to make his entrance. Suddenly, the new front-runner for the nomination appeared over the brow of a hill, accompanied by a small army of banner-waving supporters. Bathed in camera lights and preceded by bagpipers from the New Hampshire Firefighters band, Mr. Kerry had decided to time a triumphal entry to maximum effect. "Exploiting the `Big Mo' with men in kilts," joked an aide.

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