KASUAL KIBBITZ OF THE KERRY KAMPAIGN. The Los Angeles Times poll shows President Bush ahead. That is a big one for a strongly Democrat paper.

Is it my imagination, or is John Kerry laying low (seeking out the poorer quarters where the ragged people go?)? The whole Vietnam strategy has become a mess for him. I do not know why someone who opposed the war publicly and vehemently, and for political capital, would run on a platform of having fought in the war. Nonetheless, it has become a quagmire for him. I thought he was doing well in representing himself until this issue exploded. Even without much support in the big newspapers, the story has made the rounds and left him looking like someone who manufactured his service and his story.

It also appears that anothe flip flop has occurred. Mr. Kerry voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. This was not a popular move, as both houses of Congress overwhelmingly passed it and President Clinton approved it by signing it into law. That put Mr. Kerry in a very small minority.

Mr. Kerry later came out against the Federal Marriage Amendment. He is counted as a big supporter of the homosexual lobby. But, he recently visited Missouri and had his finger in the air. You know, to check which way the wind is blowing. Missouri recently passed a law defining marriage as a heterosexual event. Mr. Kerry told people in one speech that he would have voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment if it had made it to a vote.

This is a silly thing to do. Everyone knows his stance on the issue. Why pretend otherwise? Missouri might have a few voters that will not hear his real views, but surely the "show me" state has newspapers that will point out the inconsistency.

This kind of stuff makes Mr. Kerry very vulnerable to attack by the Republicans. It also makes his credibility sink in regard to other statements (Christmas in Cambodia) and policy positions (fighting terrorism).

It appears that Mr. Kerry is still shooting himself in the foot. The question is whether America will give him another award for it.