The New Republic Online: Comeback Kids

"Though still publicly coy about whether he'll run, Hart is preparing a series of policy speeches that he will deliver at universities across the country beginning in January. The first will be on national security, the second on economic policy, the third on foreign affairs, and so on. (The itinerary is not yet set, but Smith, who's working on the logistics, suggests that somewhere in Iowa would be a logical first stop.) Hart says public reaction to these speeches will help him decide whether the climate is right for a run. "I want to see if people think they make any sense. And, if the speeches do receive any press attention and have been critiqued, maybe they will have the effect of getting some other candidates to respond." But, Polkinghorn and Smith's infectious enthusiasm notwithstanding, says Hart, "I have no need to be in office. I am not a career politician. People say my career ended in '87, but I didn't see it as a career. I saw it as public service. I don't need to be president. I thought I had something to offer in the '80s--and maybe I have something to offer in the new century."

Polkinghorn and Smith are certainly convinced. The moment Hart decides to go for the gold (and possibly before) Smith will drop out of Harvard and head for Denver. Polkinghorn is more ambivalent about leaving med school but clearly hates the idea of missing the action. Hart says he has counseled (and will continue to counsel) the young men against discontinuing their studies. "I've said, 'Don't do that. It's not chopped liver to be at Harvard Medical School.'" Still, he hedges, "What an opportunity for them to learn American politics up close and personal." He points to the grand times he had as a volunteer for John Kennedy's and Bobby Kennedy's presidential campaigns and as director of George McGovern's 1972 White House bid."

A good article on TNR Online about the 2 young folks behind the push to get Colorado's own Gary Hart back in the national political spotlight and into another run for the Presidency. 

"viainstapundit"