The missing headlines:
Here are some of the headlines that I have missed over the past couple of weeks.

Micheal Moore's "controversial" film won the People's Choice award for favorite movie: ["Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" Voted US Viewers' Favorite Movie of 2004 "], a bit of a surprise considering the hammering he received during the late stages of last year's presidential campaign. "The Passion" also won for Best Drama. There were rumors that the organizers gave Moore a heads up that he would win in order to make sure he showed up but the rumors haven't been proven yet.

Probably one of the most frightening things that happened in recent weeks was that Mass. Sen. John Kerry announced that he was contemplating another run for the presidency in 2008: ["I'm going to learn"]. Eh, isn't it a bit late for that now? Of course, I'm not surprised by all of this because many of us wrote about Kerry's problems early on in the primary process. I am still a bit surprised that he won the nomination. But I am not surprised that Kerry lost. In my gut, I knew he was going to lose.
Here's some reaction from the Dean folks about Kerry's future intentions: ["Bite Me John"]. And here is a story about Ohio's SOS asking for illegal contributions for a potential 2006 gubernatorial run: ["Ohio letter seeks illegal contributions"]. This, was also a surprise: ["Holdout Dems Seek Gore Restoration"]. If Nixon could do it, why can't Gore?

Some interesting headlines from the Boston political scene. First, Capuano chokes on a possible gubernatorial run: ["Capuano won't run for governor, raising questions on party unity"]. This is interesting, especially after the puff piece the Globe's clueless Brian Mooney wrote a few weeks back. Also, Frank Phillips' take on this is pretty amusing:

Capuano's departure from the race is likely to mean that the party will not have the chance to consider a candidate who would pull together the party's two strongest bases: urban voters and liberal political activists.

This is a good thing for the Democrats, Frank. Democratic nominees have historically had a lock on the urban and liberal voters in Massachusetts. Their problem is that this base has whithered away. So, in order to beat Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, they have to be able to attract new voters - which are more conservative, centrist, and suburban. Since Capuano is centrist on some issues, albeit not social ones, he could have been able to get some of these voters. More than likely, a candidate like nice guy Christopher Gabrieli will have a better chance at getting these voters. With unlimited resources - he was reportedly worth $80 million before the dot-con crash - Gabrieli could have potential in the nomination fight against AG Tom Reilly. It would be similar to what happened here in New Hampshire in 2004: The CEO vs. the CEO. Although, Romney is much less scandal-riddled than ex-Gov. Craig Benson was perceived to be.
In the end, Capuano made the safe - and yeah, smart - decision. He's relatively safe in the 8th seat but admittedly going nowhere. And for some, that is okay. The key for Capuano is to do what I suggested he do when he first got elected: Float the big ideas - and fight for regular folks.
In the puff piece by Mooney, Capuano said he was happy doing the small stuff. Well, that may not be good enough, long-term, for the people of the district who are historically used to the broader agendas of JFK and Tip. They may get a bit impatient. Although, they dealt with Joseph P. Kennedy II - an inept politician if you ever saw one, who turned against working folks by backing NAFTA and GATT/WTO - so maybe Capuano can ride this one for awhile.
Capuano also got a mention in this piece by former Boston Phoenix political writer Michael Crowley, who is now a senior editor at The New Republic, about taking on the GOP: ["Learning from Newt"]. Crowley is a good guy and this is a nice piece.
Speaking of Joe Kennedy, is this like a standing head or something?: ["Joseph Kennedy, once again, won't run for governor"]. The Globe quotes Kennedy:

"I have no intention of running for governor. I am not looking to get back into elective office."

I have to wonder if the writers didn't transcribe this quote wrong. Shouldn't it have been this:

I, uh, uh, have no intention of uh, running for uh, governor. I am, uh, not looking to get back in to uh, elective office.

Also, is it getting to look like Frank Phillips is fishing for a Democratic candidate?
I would also be remiss if I didn't post this excellent blog entry by my brother-in-law, Tom McCuin, a former MassGOP staffer who is stationed in Afghanistan, about the Republicans getting hammered in the 2004 mid-term Mass. elections: ["Seeing the elephant"].
Lastly, speaking of the Globe, did anyone see the bit in the Herald about married city editor Bryan Marquard allegedly getting arrested for "open and gross lewdness" after allegedly getting caught at the front door of two young women "naked and masterbating"? Nice.

Take a look at this piece by David Wedge: ["Cabral campaign manager preps for at-large City Council race"]. Note to amatuer political journalists: Always take a look at the year-end campaign finance filings to see if there is anything going on. Not only is Matt O'Malley, who came out of nowhere in 2003, prepping for another run, but there is also a new-comer no one has ever heard of, Sam Yoon, who raised more than $29k, quite a feat for a nobody.
But is he a nobody? A google of Mr. Yoon yielded some interesting finds including this discussion on boston-online.com: ["When will the Globe let us in on the secret?"]. Whoever posted this is being pretty astute. The Globe has a way of doing this: Elevating a candidate, often under the banner of "diversity," yet the person turns out to be an insider for someone in power. I'm not saying that Yoon is this type of person. But when you read "public/private partnership" - a mantra of a certain long-term Boston Mayor - you can pretty much guess where the candidate is coming from. As well, when you see some guy come out of nowhere to raise $29k, you can almost guarantee that candidate has some powerful connections. I would love to see the guy's financial statements.
As always, Adam Reilly of the Boston Phoenix, has a pretty good overview of the 2005 council race here: ["Breaths of fresh air"].

Those who have been saying Iraq is starting to look like 'Nam may have hit it right on the head: ["US deserters flee to Canada to avoid service in Iraq"]. Where again are the American media? I haven't seen this anywhere.

This is too funny: ["Rathergate vs. Saddam's WMD"]. The key here is "Number of firings resulting from investigation" ... Zero. Zilch. Nada. None.

This is not: Here's Howard Fineman, probably one of the worst of the Washington blathermouths, giving his opinion once again: ["The 'Media Party' is over"]. This is the same guy who went off on Howard Dean for being a little enthusiastic. Sorry Howard. If we have our way, you're next! In a perfect world, not only would the news departments turn over at places like CBS more frequently, but so would the pundits on the talking head shows. Here is another take on the issue from Howard Kurtz: ["Hollow Accountability"].