Raison D'Etre
Gary Hart is doing the CNN rounds tonight, appearing on Inside Politics and Larry King Live. Will he announce that he is running for President or will he just keep dropping hints? Hart has given several major policy speeches over the past few weeks as he ponders another run for the White House.
But what exactly is Gary Hart's message or meaning in the campaign? Back at one time, Hart was a man with new ideas for the Democratic Party. He is still a very bright man, and would probably be one of the smartest people in the race, but his recent speeches have very little in terms of new ideas. Hart is opposed to war on Iraq, but there are already several candidates running on an anti-war platform. Hart has national security credentials, but so don't John Kerry, Bob Graham and Joe Lieberman.
Several months ago, I was hoping for a Hart candidacy to energize the race with new ideas, but maybe my expectations were based more on the Hart of yore. As of right now I just don't see a constituency for the former Senator from Colorado.