ABC's Note states the Dean Stands out Against the War on Iraq

By Anonymous -
Politicians are usually very reactive with their public positions. Dean is stepping out once again ahead of the pack.



There are so many good nuggets of 2004 politics in the Wall Street Journal 's sidebar-ish take under the header "Key Democrats Voice Doubts on Iraq Plan," that mostly what we will tell you here is that it is a must-read.

The Big Six (Daschle, Gephardt, Gore, Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman) all get mentioned in the piece, with good analysis and quotes, but let the record show that Gov. Howard Dean owns the third paragraph (mentioned after only Daschle) all by himself:

"And one 2004 Democratic presidential prospect, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, declared that 'there's substantial doubt that [Saddam Hussein] is as much of a threat as the Bush administration claims.' Though Americans might initially rally to military action, 'that support will be very short-lived once American kids start coming home in boxes,' Mr. Dean warned Wednesday as he campaigned in Iowa."

In a companion must-read on the op-ed page, Al Hunt says Democrats are MIA on the issue, and he makes a bit of fun of Gore, Edwards, and Gephardt, while elevating the man who is still enjoying his CW/pundit moment in the sun, John Kerry, who, Hunt vaguely teases out, is getting ready to "soon" take a "stand" regarding the need for the United States to act against Iraq as part of an international coalition.

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