I couldn’t miss the front page headline in today’s Lincoln Journal-Star:

Kerrey rethinking run for Senate

My first reaction was, with the amount of thought he’s apparently giving his decision, the more accurate headline would have been:

Kerrey re-re-re-re-rethinking run for Senate

Following hot on the heels of my first reaction was the impulse to send the guy a ream of lined paper and a box of pencils with a note telling him to make a list of pros and cons, weigh them, make a decision, and get it over with already for the love of Pete!  He resembles nothing more at this point than a shameless flirt who teases and teases but never delivers the goods.

Well, with the filing deadline looming — I believe it’s this week — clearly, Kerrey better have this on his playlist:

My third thought was, should Kerrey choose to throw his hat in the ring, his campaign slogan better not be “A VOTE FOR KERREY IS A VOTE FOR DECISIVE LEADERSHIP.” I can see the the yard signs being printed as we speak:

I, for one, think that would be a hard sell given his recent behavior.

For those of us who have not been following Kerrey’s mental gymnastics, the Journal-Star article informs us that just “[t]wenty days ago, Kerrey announced he had decided not to be a candidate, citing family considerations while at the same time expressing an immediate regret that ‘it was something I really wanted to do.’”

What could possibly have shaken such firm conviction?  According to the Washington Post, the 180-degree turnaround followed a Kerrey conversation with none other than

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Now, that’s a name to trust.  He’s NEVER been known to lead any other Nebraska Senators astray, has he?  Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation!  I imagine it went something like this:

Interestingly, there’s some scuttlebutt that Kerrey’s initial refusal to run was faked to lull Governor Dave into complacency, keeping Heineman from jumping into the race on the Republican side before the filing deadline for current officeholders passed.  If so, Kerrey has demonstrated what a keen political strategist he is (TRANSLATION for those who don’t speak politician:  He’s shown himself to be the shark he really is.)  Given that the victim was Governor Dave though, I can only say, if this was indeed Kerrey’s gambit,  it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Anyway, GiN’s bartender formerly http://grassrootsne.com/?page_id=6267 tells me there’s been a grey-haired guy with bushy eyebrows occupying the corner booth in the back of the bar the last couple of days.  Even though we’ve been semi-closed for some renovations since the holidays, Paul took pity on this particular guy because, according to Paul, the guy looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and needed someplace to chill.  Paul keeps setting ‘em up, but the guy doesn’t even make eye contact.  He just keeps up this running conversation with himself.  Go figure.  One other thing, though, and it’s really curious.  The grey-haired guy keeps plugging the jukebox, but he only ever plays these two songs:

Which one is it going to be, Bob?  I guess he just can’t make up his mind.

Bob Kerrey testifying in Congress, via Real Clear Politics‘ February 7, 2012 article “Bob Kerrey Won’t Run For Senate in Nebraska”

Kerrey Senate 2012 sign created by GiN, Copyright 2012, permission granted for republication IF COPYRIGHT LEFT INTACT.  Kerrey image via Salon.com January 12, 2012 article “Democrats can’t count on Kerrey“, credited to AP.