Today's Must-Read: More Signs That Kerry Will Run

Alexander Bolton has a good piece in The Hill (hat tip: RealClearPolitics) pointing to further signs that Kerry is definitely going to make the 2008 run, including the securing of the services of high-powered operatives, tapping into the 3 million strong voter contact database he has compiled, and an attempt to push through legislation to counter Campaign 2004 criticism that he had no accomplishments in the Senate. To say that a Kerry candidacy is not welcome by all would be the understatement of the year; here are some highlights:

Kerry has drawn criticism from many Democrats who say he did not have a clear, compelling message during his campaign and had difficulty connecting with voters...�I think he proved he cannot connect with people,� said Joe Cari, who served as national finance director of the DNC in 2000 and who estimated that he had raised about $100,000 for Kerry�s presidential campaign. �I don�t see his candidacy going anywhere. You tell me people in the Democratic Party are going to live, eat and breath John Kerry again. I don�t see it. I don�t see any fervor.�

�He really angered a lot of people by keeping all the money that he did,� Cari said, referring to close to $17 million left unspent in Kerry�s campaign account after the election.

�I wrote and asked for my money back,� said Cari, who gave $2,000 to John Kerry for President Inc. and $2,000 to Kerry-Edwards 2004 Inc., the general-election legal fund. �When you hold back $17 million, there�s no way that you can say that �I gave it my best shot.��...Michael Bauer, a fundraiser and activist based in Chicago who gave to more than 30 Democratic candidates for the 2004 election, said he also asked the Kerry campaign for a refund after the race. Bauer, who gave $2,000 to John Kerry for President Inc. and $1,000 to Kerry�s general-election legal and accounting-compliance fund, said he threatened to sue for misrepresentation because Kerry left a substantial portion of his money unspent.

�I think he was woefully inadequate,� Bauer said. �He was an amazingly lousy candidate. He worked hard to lose that election.�

Wow. Indeed.