Kerry's "rabbit's-foot outlook on the world."

Isn't all this superstition in a candidate just a little . . . disturbing? (Hat tip: Betsy's Page)

They viewed Bush's departure from Wisconsin yesterday, at the same time as Kerry's arrival, as a good omen that the president would soon be decamping to his Texas ranch in the aftermath of a Democratic electoral win. The Red Sox, with a come-from-behind conquest of the Yankees and a reverse-the-curse sweep in the World Series, have emerged as the talisman of the Kerry campaign. The Massachusetts senator has even forced one of his speechwriters -- a diehard Yankees fan -- to wear a Red Sox cap full time for more than a week now in hopes of conjuring some special Boston magic.

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Elsewhere on the trail, he pulls out his lucky buckeye on nearly every stop in Ohio, and still carries a four-leaf clover given to him as he bounced back in Iowa caucus polls to a surprise victory.

''All those little signs that we superstitious people read are doing well," Kerry said Saturday morning at a rally northwest of here in Appleton, where he noted that the University of Wisconsin Badgers have been undefeated in football this season and suggested he would therefore win the state.

And at a rally in Cleveland last night, with more than 50,000 people, singer Bruce Springsteen delighted Kerry by giving him a guitar pick and wishing him the best for today. A beaming Kerry told the crowd, ''I believe in the lucky little deals, you know."

Granted, some people get the heebie-jeebies whenever President Bush mentions prayer, and others don't see a distinction between a life of faith in God and a life lived by horoscopes, talismans and lucky charms. But I think the majority of Americans would be uncomfortable with a President who might set policy by wishing on falling stars.