In too many years covering politicians, I've come to the depressing conclusion that most of the ones that aren't weird are boring. Very few pass the International Herald Tribune test, which goes like this. Imagine you're on a Mediterranean beach and you see a politician out of the corner of your eye--do you hide behind that morning's I.H.T. or not?
Bob Kerrey, former Governor of Nebraska, later Senator, Democratic presidential hopeful in 1992 and now president of the New School University in New York City, is one of the handful of pols for whom it's worth interrupting a holiday. Kerrey has...