There are a couple of diary mentions of this article, but this is the first link to it that I found (public link).
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB109396051280705705,00.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/5zx76
By contrast, the Republican effort is proceeding almost perfectly according to plan. The John McCain and Rudy Giuliani defense of President Bush as a national-security leader -- in comparison to Sen. Kerry -- was an effective launch, and Tuesday night a mainstream domestic appeal will be offered by First Lady Laura Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Top Republican operatives have spelled out the political scenario to key supporters: Mr. Bush will come out of New York with a high single-digit lead in the polls, maintain about a five-point lead into the presidential debates, hold his own in those venues, and win a reasonably convincing re-election. Implicit in this strategy is control of the dialogue and agenda during the fall campaign, keeping Sen. Kerry on the defensive and making him as much if not more than President Bush the issue in voters' minds.
[...]
The Democrats' picture also is strikingly similar to the situation the party faced the last time it sought to unseat a President Bush. In June 1992, Bill Clinton's campaign was cratering; he was running third in the polls, behind President Bush and Independent candidate Ross Perot, the message was muddled, high-level conference calls involved dozens of campaign chiefs as there were no clear lines of authority. Hillary Clinton stepped in, tapped James Carville to be in charge of everyone, and Mr. Clinton went on to win in November.
Democrats, desperate and furious at the Kerry campaign, hope that is a model. There are, however, several differences. That was June and this is almost September. And Mr. Carville was a highly skilled, experienced political operative.
I'm not a troll, and I don't follow Al Hunt's writing, so I don't know how good his information is, and I don't like his conclusions.