I have this bridge I'd like to sell ya too!

Ads for (and at No Cost to) Kerry Keep Flowing

In the weeks leading up to the Democratic convention, Senator John Kerry's campaign aides worried that the senator would have to begin spending his $75 million in public financing a month earlier than President Bush. They even flirted with the idea that he would delay accepting the nomination so he could keep raising and spending millions of dollars on advertising throughout August.

But August has brought a spate of what seemed to be Kerry advertisements every day. To a voter's eye, the senator's campaign marches on seamlessly - and usually on message. And the campaign is not a penny poorer for it.

The advertisements introduced this week were not paid for by Mr. Kerry's campaign, but from a newly formed arm of the Democratic Party, which is running a $6.5 million advertising campaign in Missouri and 19 others this week, and The Media Fund, which is running a $2.5 million campaign in five swing states, and the New Democratic Network, which is spending $500,000 on Spanish-language commercials in 11 cities. The advertisements from the campaign and the party are in many ways similar, emphasizing words like "win,'' "strength" and "alliances."

For the second time this campaign season outside groups that are not legally allowed to coordinate with Mr. Kerry's campaign are riding to its rescue at a crucial time in its advertising campaign against President Bush - the most expensive on record.

It smells like "campaign finance reform."

Yet this time around the spots from outside liberal and Democratic groups have dovetailed almost perfectly with the messages of the Kerry campaign - sticking largely to health care, jobs and the Iraq war - prompting occasional accusations of collusion from Republicans.

Democrats and outside analysts said an extraordinary level of party unity against Mr. Bush had prompted the outside groups to toe Mr. Kerry's line, or at least to try their best without directly speaking with his aides.

They're mind readers you see.

Ms. Moran said she had gone so far as to stop socializing with colleagues with the Democratic Party or the Kerry campaign.

"I'm in a bunker,'' she said. "It's a lonely existence, but that's where we are right now.''

Let's have a pity party.