John Kerry has had plenty of good election nights in this campaign. And each time, he’s wasted the opportunity to present himself effectively to the general public afterward with a strong, victorious speech. Instead, he’s looked like a dour senator debating some obscure bill no one’s heard of. Obviously, this deficiency has done little to blunt his momentum among early-state Democrats, but it’s been noticeable and unnecessary. And he did it again tonight after the Virginia and Tennessee results came in. What a bland performance. I know I’ve seen John Kerry smile. While didn’t he do more of it tonight, in front of a national television audience? And why aren’t his media people on the ball?

No wonder I kept flipping back to “American Idol.”