Believe it or not, I'm actually glad (well, kinda sorta glad, anyway) to see reports like this one coming out of the Kerry camp at this point in the election season.

Democrat John Kerry "doesn't warm anybody up," and organized labor must help him create an emotional bond if fence-sitting union members are to vote for him in November, according to focus groups of undecided union voters.

But these union members find President Bush likable and strong, "with a nice family and good moral values," said a memo of results prepared for the AFL-CIO and obtained by The Associated Press. The focus groups were conducted last month in St. Louis and Philadelphia by Lake Snell Perry & Associates, a Democratic firm.

The findings offer fresh evidence that Kerry's reputation for aloofness is a hurdle the presumptive Democratic nominee must overcome — even among his party's core constituencies. And despite the acidity labor leaders direct toward Bush and his policies, he still appeals to a segment of union members, namely the Reagan Democrats.

You don't win elections by denying your shortcomings as a candidate. Just the opposite, in fact. You win elections by rigorously identifying your weaknesses, and then crafting sound strategies to diminish the damage they're likely to cause when people start paying attention in the fall. And it sounds like Sen. Kerry and his supporters are doing just that.

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