New Hampshire Notes

1. Has former Governor Dean stopped his slide? Might he capture second place? The veteran scribes would be very cross if he did, since they have already written (in their heads) the Dean obit and the South Carolina set-ups (either Kerry vs. Edwards or Kerry vs. Clark).

Alas, the Gallup, WMUR-WCVB-FNC and ARG tracking polls are now showing a bit of bounce-back for Dean. He might just get second, if these polls are accurate.

The Rule of Two would thus require the scribes to frame the race as Kerry vs. Dean. But they've long since decided that Dean is a goner. Cognitive dissonance crisis grips the Sheraton Wayfarer.

2. Mickey Kaus is emptying out his suitcase of anti-John Kerry material and posting it as fast as he can. All of what he says is true, but one point really resonates with Ellisblog. And that's the item about all the Massachusetts politicians who can't stand Kerry who are up in New Hampshire campaigning for him. In politics this is called "punching your ticket."

When I worked for the Globe, I spent a lot of time talking to the Beacon Hill crowd. Their loathing of Kerry was nearly universal. Now they're tooting his horn in New Hampshire. It's a Howie Carr column on steroids.

3. Thanks to Jay Fitzgerald for the Herald link.