Shrum & Dumber

Political advisor Bob Shrum says he pushed Edwards to vote to give Bush authority to invade Iraq in 2002, and that he regrets it. Shrum, for those of you who don't know, is best known for his 0-8 record in presidential races. Amazingly, however, he was still widely courted by Democrats in 2004.

From the Post:

[Shrum] is rich, famous and, despite his losing streak, still in great demand -- Kerry, John Edwards and Dick Gephardt all vied for his services in 2004.

I doubt very much, given Shrum's anonymity outside of Beltway news junkies, that this will help or hurt Edwards, who is wisely minimizing Shrum's influence in the decision.

"John Edwards cast his vote based on the advice of national security advisers and the intelligence he was given, not political advisers," [Edwards spokesman David] Ginsberg said. "He got political advice on both sides of the argument, and made his own decision based on what he thought was right, not political calculation."

If there is one lesson worth taking from this story it is this: candidates should spend less time worrying about what political consultants think -- especially in matters of life and death.