When most politicians publish diaries and OPs on sites like Daily Kos and Huffington Post, they’re just drive-by postings of campaign statements and other generic material. JK isn’t like most politicians, though. He actually reads the comments and, whenever he can squeeze a few extra minutes from his hectic daily schedule, replies to them in the threads and in updates to the diaries. Here are a couple of comments and replies from last week’s Daily Kos thread, in which JK answers a couple of questions that a lot of posters have wanted to know more about his stance on.

Can you please,,,,

watch Dodd and Feingold’s backs now?

Telcom immmunity is not acceptable.

by Miss Blue on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 01:29:28 PM PST

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voted with them from the start

I voted with Russ Feingold and Chris Dodd against the motion to proceed with this FISA bill back before recess – and if you remember the Alito fight, you know where I stand on the Constitutional rights of the American people.

by John Kerry on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 02:00:07 PM PST

Sen Kerry

Thank you for speaking out against this. And thank you again for coming to the funeral of my brother, Sgt. Russell Durgin and being there for my mother.

However, I do have to express my disappointment in your endorsement of Obama. While I am supporting John Edwards, I could respect your decision to go with Obama. What I can’t support is the new phenomenon of people waiting until the several primaries have taken place until making an endorsement. I’m sure you (and the others doing this) would deny it, but it’s pretty obvious this is about waiting to see who you think can win rather than standing up early and strongly for someone you truly think would be the best candidate. In other words, if you really believe Obama is the best choice, then that endorsement should have been announced earlier.

by RIP Russ on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 01:35:29 PM PST

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my thoughts

First of all, thank you for what your family has given our country. I know sometimes those just sound like words, but they’re more than that.

You make an interesting point about the timing of my endorsement, and it’s actually something I wrestled with. Let me share my thinking with you a little.

First, in my judgment, the outcome of this race is far far from clear. It’s a dogfight. I endorsed Barack after he’d lost a tough fight in New Hampshire. I actually think that tells you how much I believe in my choice more than had I jumped on a bandwagon of some kind. If I had wanted to wait until the outcome was clear, I wouldn’t have endorsed yet. This is still a very open race. I’m not playing it safe.

But the second point—I want you to know this. It was a difficult decision. I gave a lot of thought to the timing. I wrestled with a feeling that for friends and colleagues of mine, and people I really cared about who were grinding it out in Iowa, they deserved the chance to make their case to the voters on their own, and not have the perception of someone parachuting in to get in the way of the intimate process that is Iowa.

I remember feeling that way and bristling a little bit before Iowa and New Hampshire myself in 2003 and 2004 when some big name endorsements seemed to block out the sun for a few news cycles! And I took that to heart and really struggled with it this time. So, you may disagree with it, but I want you to know my thinking.

by John Kerry on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 03:02:47 PM PST