Actually, John, you are better off.

It was noble, I suppose, for John Kerry to take the high road and apologize to former staffers for remarks that implied that his campaign is better off without their services. The nobility of his apology notwithstanding, though, his comments were, in fact, true.

I respect Jim Jordan, who has done lots of good work for lots of good people for a long time. The fact is, though, he just wasn't able to put together an effective campaign for a candidate who, by any measure, should be showing better results at this point in the race. Kerry's a proven campaigner with an excellent record and substantial financial resources, with or without his own checkbook. Blaming the campaign on the candidate just isn't good enough in this case. It's pretty hard to argue that the campaign isn't better off with a change at the top of the staff.

As for the pair of staffers that left in his wake, well, how would the campaign be better off by retaining people whose loyalty is clearly more with their old staff boss than with the candidate whose interests they're supposed to serve?

So, Senator Kerry, a tip of the cap for your noble gesture, but, in fact, you're better off.