http://youtu.be/TDh2iKzBh4E

This video reminds us how quickly presidential aspirations can be dashed.  In this famous 1979 interview, Roger Mudd asks Ted Kennedy why he wants to be President. Kennedy initially appears stumped. (What he says upon recovery isn’t half bad, but Kennedy’s delivery is vague and circuitous.)  Every candidate fears a moment like this one — and every candidate since the Mudd interview has been drilled by his handlers, over and over again, “why are you running for office?”

Whether this was really what derailed Kennedy’s Primary campaign against President Carter is debatable, but it’s a classic moment in American politics. Worth a look back as the 2012 cycle kicks in.