Senator John Kerry announced yesterday that he will not be seeking the democratic presidential nomination in the upcoming 2008 election.  Up to this point, Kerry had been ambiguous about his decision to run and has been one of a large number democrats being watched as presidential hopefuls.    

Sen. Kerry has been openly opposed to the war in Iraq, even though he initially supported the resolution that allowed the initial invasion of Iraq.  Like many democrats, his opinion has evolved and no longer supports the war.  His retraction of support has led Kerry, as well as many other democrats, labeled as indecisive and unsupportive of U.S. troops. 

Recent polls have shown Kerry as trailing other democratic presidential hopefuls.  In part, this can be traced to a botched joke Kerry made last year about the war in Iraq.  He later stated that he had misspoken and that the remark was directed at President Bush, however, it was widely misconstrued as insulting the intelligence of the military personnel. 

Kerry is currently serving his fourth term as a Massachusetts senator.  He currently has plans on seeking another term in the senate in 2008.  In citing his decision not to run for president, was his devotion to ensuring the next president will be fully informed and fully prepared to ensure success in Iraq.  

Sen. Kerry’s decisions still leaves a multitude of other democrats who are considering the seeking the nomination themselves.  The next few months promise to be interesting as many of the hopefuls either confirm their intentions or bow out of the race.  Kerry had previously sought and lost the presidential seat in 2004 against President Bush.  There has also been speculation is that Kerry would not be able to generate the amount of party and monetary support in the next election that he raised in the upcoming election, in part due to support being spread throughout the high number of potential candidates.