Up until 2000, the Washington establishment was essentially the Democratic Party establishment, and had been for decades. The Democrats are every bit as corrupt, every bit as malign and sinister, as the Republicans. They just have a different set of funders and special interests behind them is all.

Kerry represents the heart and soul of the Washington Democrat establishment. If you are looking for real change in Washington, he will not bring it. If you are looking to unseat Bush, he may not be the man to beat him because of that.

In wartime, the country won't change leadership unless the current leader is perceived as being way off track, as Johnson was seen as being when he decided not to run. There is a possibility of that happening if the war in Iraq doesn't start going Bush's way. But if this insurgency can be put down with an influx of more troops and more money, I'd say Bush will be here for another 4 years because the voters don't look critically at a sitting president the way they do the incumbent.

When people begin to compare Bush and Kerry on the issues, it becomes clear fairly quickly that there are not that many differences between them on the major policy issues of this election. So if the war in Iraq is under control, and the Saudis do what they promised they would do for Bush, which is deliver cheaper fuel prices for the November 2004 election, then the voters will look at Kerry, see there are no major differences between him and Bush, and vote for Bush.

The Democrats needed to take a bold step in this election, and run someone that was clearly different and a true alternative to Bush and the Washington establishment. Instead, they went with the safe, Republicrat candidate, and figured they could capitalize on grassroots anger from the 2000 election. The last thing the party establishment wanted was an anti-war candidate, because the Democratic party establishment fully supports the war on Iraq.

I know a lot of young people who were really, truly fired up during the primary season, who now feel hopeless because of Kerry getting the nomination. I predict it will be Bush for 4 more years, because the Democratic party keeps ignoring the young, new blood and their own grassroots that keeps trying to get a toe hold in the party.

The Democrats have a presumed candidate who truly deserves to lose in November, because he doesn't offer a true alternative to the Bush Republican agenda. But the nation and the world do not deserve four more years of Bush and his brand of Republicanism. That may well be a real problem come November.