THE CURE

Kerry wisely cancelled campaign appearances this week in deference to the funeral ceremonies for former president Reagan, praising Reagan for his "non-partisanship" at every opportunity.

This deft and unanswerable thrust was Clintonian in both its subtlety and deadliness toward the snarling Bush-Cheney Campaign. Clinton himself, as he often does, gave Democrats a heads-up on how to act with an unstinting eulogy of Reagan.

Personally, I felt a lot worse about Smarty Jones losing, and I don't mind saying so. But then I'm not running for anything.

Here's the key fact: Kerry ISN'T RUNNING against Reagan. Indeed, quite the opposite, he is competing for the millions of Democratic votes that went for Reagan 20 years ago and for the millions of others who would have been Reagan Democrats had they been old enough to vote.

The cure for Nader, the cure for the Florida felon purge, and the cure for Ralph Reed's technologically superior GOTV operation is simple: win big.

To do that, Kerry needs lots of Reagan Dems AND passionate support from Howard Dean's Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. (Yes, I know it was Wellstone. But let's concentrate on people who are alive, at least until after the election).

Bush's stature is diminishing weekly. It will have to diminish further. Not to put to fine a point on it, he'll steal the election if it's close.

John Kerry rose above all that is petty and small this week while at the same time delivering an elegant groin kick.

You gotta love that. You just gotta.