Manchester, New Hampshire, Tuesday, January 20

7:00 A.M., Wiggins Airways: For John Kerry, this is as good as it gets. About 500 people are gathered inside a slickly decorated hangar waiting for the senator to arrive from Iowa and their exuberance doesn’t come from Kerry’s new frontrunner status, but from the rush of having survived a near-death experience.
Kerry emerges to U-2’s “Beautiful Day” and then, Bono-style, ascends a catwalk which leads him over and through the throng to the stage. At the podium he smiles while the cheers wash over him; he looks as though he can’t quite believe it either. He makes two fists and does a bit of shadowboxing. Then he opens his mouth.