One other thought

Kerry was a really poor choice of candidate. His thoughtful wafflings often came across as indecisive, he wasn't very good at staying on-message, and his charisma really didn't appeal to many outside of the Democratic base. Sad to say, the US seems to vote for decisiveness over thoughtfulness, conviction over fact, and a folksy attitude over a polite, academic/patriochial visage. (In recent memory, this was true for Reagan, Clinton, Bush Jnr. - Bush Snr. really only ever won because of Reagan's coat-tails). Kerry had near perfect-storm conditions: an unpopular war (although it's not as unpopular as one might think), a floundering economy, healthcare crisis, mass job losses - and he still couldn't appeal to people. Polls were pretty clear - Not Bush would have won a huge margin, but simply not being Bush isn't enough when the public don't like you. :-(

Sorry Kerry. That's why I could never stand and win, either.
Mood: thirsty
Music: None