Kerry 1, Bush 0

Kevin Drum summarizes the first week of the general election season and boy was it a doozy!

I'm biased here, of course, but I think, over all, Kerry has to be declared the winner of the first round. Bush has been on the defensive nearly from the beginning (even before if you count the previous attacks on AWOL, etc.) and his counter-punches (both direct and indirect) have been only marginally effective.

Eight months is a long time, but if Kerry is to put this thing away and do so in a decisive fashion (a goal we should strive for even if we don't make it) then he needs to keep Bush on the ropes as much as he can.