How Many Percentage Points Can $25 Million Buy?

Pandagon has some information about the Kerry media buy. Looks like the gret stet is on the list of targeted areas. Interesting. I haven't followed enough polling data lately down here, but this hopefully is an indication that we could genuinely be in play come the fall.

One thing I did notice though, was an ad that ran during the Channel 9 news rebroadcast the other night. It was a plug for--the Selective Service System (don't call it a draft--yet. Besides, stop-loss orders are basically the same thing). I took a look at their site, and the denials have all the hallmarks of the "we don't negotiate with terrorists" stances.

To be honest, I actually don't think the draft is a much more than a last-ditch option at this point. As I said, stop-loss orders do much the same thing, and the shaky economy always makes the military look like a viable option to someone looking to make it in the world during difficult times. But should Shrub manage to eke out another--uh, I almost said victory, but--should he somehow get grandfathered into an extra four years, look for some sort of mandatory "service" to receive serious consideration for at least as long as we're stuck in the Middle East sandstorm. I mean, let's face it: we might not be at the last ditch yet in Iraq, but it's definitely in reach if not in sight.

OK. Back to the main topic: Hopefully, the Kerry ads will get some folks to consider him as a genuine alternative to the most ill-prepared human ever to occupy the White House--I suppose time will tell. But it's a good sign that Kerry even has that much money to spend so early on in the campaign. I was not a fan of the front-loaded primary season mostly because it meant that the nominee--whoever it was--stood a good chance of getting caught in the doldrums until at least the convention. This actually DID happen to Kerry for a bit, and perhaps that's not such a bad thing. He doesn't appear to be a particularly outstanding campaigner. Still, he is Homo Sapiens Sapiens to Bush's Australopithicine when it comes to the trail. I'm more convinced than ever that Rove's biggest problem is going to be managing to keep Bush in the public eye while somehow avoiding the public. Dubya, in anything remotely resembling an event with real people, seems barely capable of uttering his own name, let alone thinking on his feet. All the spin in the world can't make him any better.

I'll be staying tuned like everyone else.