OK, that's over.

Kerry has announced that he will accept the nomination when it's offered at the Democratic National Convention. Good. Although I have some appreciation for the financial arguements that surrounded the suggestion that he might delay acceptance, I've been pretty skeptical of the notion for a variety of reasons.

Still, on balance, I think floating the idea has been a net good thing. It demonstrated that Kerry's willing to think outside the box and looking for novel ways to fight back against the GOP's bankroll and manipulation of the calendar. Attention was focused on the Republican financial advantage, which opens the door for conversations about where that advantage comes from. Stories were written about the unusually late timing of the Republican convention, which raises the spectre of their political manipulation of 9/11 in New York, which Americans have demonstrated little appetite for. It gives a little cover for the wave of attack ads they'll doubtless be running in the wake of the DNC, framing the attacks in an atmosphere of "They can only do that because..."

And in the end, Kerry made the right decision and will do the right thing. He is a smart guy, you know.