The Boston Globe breaks some news this evening in reporting that Ted Kennedy has withdrawn his support from a potential John Kerry presidential run.  The Commonwealth's senior Senator offered the following rationale for his change in course:

Kennedy said his oft-stated commitment to support Kerry again was based on the assumption that Kerry would state his intentions by early 2007. Since Kerry pushed back his decision in the wake of following an election-eve "botched joke" that damaged his public standing, however, Kennedy said he has informed Kerry that he may get behind another Democrat for president.

"I was under more of the impression before that he was going to run and was waiting in time [to declare his candidacy], but now he's deferred that decision," Kennedy said. "I have no plans of supporting anyone else at this juncture. I'm also not going to just wait indefinitely until he's made a judgment or a decision."

I have a different interpretation for Kennedy's move, "the first public fissure between the two Massachusetts Democrats on the issue of Kerry's presidential aspirations," as the Globe puts it.  Let's face it - Kennedy knows a sinking Oldsmobile when he sees one.

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