Where was Kerry?

The question seemed to be on everyone's lips yesterday, except those of his colleagues, who knew very well where he was and didn't seem resentful (or particularly envious) so far as I could tell, and the American troops who greeted him enthusiastically in Iraq, who seemed downright grateful...

U.S. soldiers approached Kerry inside the restaurant of the Rashid Hotel, asking him to pose for photographs and sign T-shirts...

Later in the day, Kerry met with about 20 soldiers based in his home state, including reservists from the 356th Engineer Detachment and 126th Aviation Company of the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Camp Victory...

****

Kerry was scheduled to fly on a C-130 military transport plane today to visit troops in Fallujah and Mosul.

Baghdad, Mosul, Fallujah. Heck of a vacation trip, huh?

Actually, to think that Kerry might have served the cause better elsewhere reveals, I think, a lack of strategic imagination.

What purpose would have been served if John Kerry had been in the Senate chamber during the electoral challenge? The entire event would have been painted in terms of how did Kerry vote, what did Kerry say, Kerry, Kerry, Kerry. In fact, although his problems in Ohio were exemplary of, they were largely incidental to the real issue at hand. The issue wasn't what happened to John Kerry, it was what happened to the voters of Ohio.

My best guess? John Kerry knew there would be a challenge from the House, knew it would be supported by a Senator, and he, and the Congressional leadership, knew that the best place for him to be was elsewhere. The best place of all was exactly where he chose to be, choosing this day of all the days of his trip to the Middle East to be with American troops in places the President who started the war would never dare visit.

I know we're all brilliant in the blogosphere, but it's just possible that there are a few strategists hanging around Congress who can match our strategic skills. In this case, I think they did us one better...