The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> HANGING OFFENSIVE br> The announcement earlier this week that former Clinton and Gore spokesman Chris Lehane has stepped down from his strategic communications role with John Kerry 's presidential campaign reveals everything that is wrong with the Massachusetts senator's campaign operation. At the same time that Kerry was pointing to a press release that stated that Lehane was stepping down for personal reasons Lehane himself and even some of his enemies in the campaign were telling reporters that Lehane had been pushed by those who opposed his campaign philosophy over the summer. /p>

Lehane was one of the few Kerry advisers counseling an aggressive "attack Howie Dean" game plan that he argued would tamp down the growing support that Kerry people were seeing for Dean in New Hampshire, Iowa, California and New York. Even though Lehane was working without a contract and some say without being paid a full salary, the former Clinton hack had been putting in long hours trying to bail out Kerry's sinking ship.

Lehane's exit may be the first in what some Kerry insiders believe will be several high profile departures from the campaign. Last week rumors were swirling that key senior adviser and speechwriter and former Gore political hack Bob Shrum had lost the confidence of Kerry and would be leaving. Shrum too had been advocating a more aggressive campaign against Dean.

"This whole thing is getting out of hand," said a Kerry campaign insider. "We're losing good people. Those that are staying are losing confidence in Kerry, and everyone seems to be looking around wondering when all the wheels are going to come off."

Kerry remains strong on fundraising, but two weeks after his second announcement that he was running for president his campaign has failed to show any momentum. Given that the entrance of retired Gen. Wesley Clark will most likely take the spotlight for at least several news cycles, Kerry may find himself heading into October as a former frontrunner who is now a second-tier candidate.

What everybody who is talking seems to agree on is that while John Kerry may be the guy driving the car, it's wife Terry Kerry who's manning the lugwrench and unscrewing the tires.

p> IN THEIR DREAMS

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