I found it very revealing when Matt Yglesias suggested a few weeks ago that John Kerry should “really commit himself” to “build[ing] a viable democratic state in Iraq” . . . but that until the nomination was salted away he shouldn’t do so because it would “be unpopular with the primary electorate and possibly lead to a Dean-resurgence.”
Of course, with Dean out of the way, I’m still not holding my breath for Kerry to get serious. But it’s more than a little scary to hear from a commited Democrat the idea that the Democratic primary voters aren’t prepared to hear a serious, adult discussion about America’s role in the world or its strategy for winning the war on terror.