Maybe There's Another Reason He Takes His Time

Recently, John Kerry popped off, accusing the Bush Administration of secretly planning a huge call up of reserves after the election. It turned out that the call up was not secret at all and was simply a scheduled troop rotation.

Next he claimed that the Bush Administration would institute a draft if reelected. There was absolutely no evidence of such a plan and only Democrats had had introduced bills attempting to reinstate the draft.

Recently, he attacked and ridiculed Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi, after Allawi thanked America for liberating his country and promising to pursue the Arab world's first democracy. Bad move.

And now, the New York Times is trying to tell us that Kerry is often slow to respond because he has such deliberative leadership style.

Mr. Kerry was described by his associates as more interested in the finer points of public policy than the mechanics of politics. Scott Maddox, the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, said he could not recall getting a call from Mr. Kerry checking in with what was going on in that critical state.

Mr. Kerry reads briefing books and newspapers in the morning (often grousing about stories critical of him) watches television interview shows like Charlie Rose's late at night (sometimes leaving phone messages for his friends who appear as guests, offering critiques of their performance), and dials senators and old friends at all hours.

At meetings, Mr. Kerry poses contrarian questions in an often wandering quest for data and conflicting opinions, a style that his aides, sometimes with a roll of the eyes, call Socratic.

Mr. Kerry, in an interview, said, "I ask the people delegated and responsible what their take is on a particular event, and then I'll have a series of things on my agenda I want to talk about."

In his quest for information, he is always consulting an ever-widening circle, rarely comfortable with relying on one person or giving anyone too much power. There is no Karl Rove in Mr. Kerry's orbit.

Well gee! How would you expect Kerry's associates to describe him - as an ill-informed dunce who has to be carefully handled by his team, because when he speaks on his own, he makes a fool of himself?