I WONDER IF THEY’LL ASK HIM ABOUT THIS in South Carolina:

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is discounting notions that any Democratic candidate would have to appeal to Southern voters in order to win the presidency, calling such thinking a “mistake” during a speech at Dartmouth College. . . .

“Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South,” Kerry said, in response to a question about winning the region. “Al Gore proved he could have been president of the United States without winning one Southern state, including his own.”

Um, no. Al Gore proved that he couldn’t win the United States without carrying one Southern state, including his own. (South Carolina political blogger Wyeth Ruthven, a Kerry supporter, thinks this is “damaging,” and suggests that people will continue to harp on it for quite a while.)

And for those who are already bored with New Hampshire, I have a collection of South Carolina political links over at GlennReynolds.com. I also note that you can’t blame candidates quite as much for gaffes like this, when you consider how they’re living.

UPDATE: Republican Ramesh Ponnuru says bring it on!