Nation-Building

Howard Dean, while being covered by People Magazine for the day, dropped by the set of "West Wing", and was endorsed by Martin Sheen; the AP's Ross Sneyd breaks the story . Sheen was not available for comment Thursday, but Liberty said he'd told her Dean is "the best possible hope for the Democrats because he's not afraid to lose. "He is determined to create a viable national debate on the real issues," said Liberty of Dean. ... But if former Vice President Al Gore were running for the Democratic nomination, Sheen would support Gore, she added. This is exactly the type of national (non-politically overt) exposure that Dean needs. Hopefully, People Magazine got some nice pictures on the West Wing set of President Josiah Bartlet and Howard Dean together, that will be in the magazine article on Dean this coming week.

Video of Dean's interview with Tavis Smiley on NPR:   Tavis Smiley Interviews Dean

Governor Dean seems to have seriously refined his stump speeches. Tuesday he issued a stinging criticism of Bush's SOTU speech while addressing a group of Marines in South Carolina. Specifically addressing the Iraq issue, he stated that while "every president must be prepared to use military force in defense of the United States...every president must first strive to exhaust all other means of American power at our disposal, including diplomacy with friends and allies." Dean's stated in the past that if a case for war is made, then he has no problem using our military might to ensure our security. However, he reiterated that at this point Bush has yet to make a solid case for war. "These are the young men and women who will be asked to risk their lives for freedom. We certainly deserve more information before sending them off to war." Governor Dean also reiterated his belief that North Korea is more of a threat to Americans than Iraq. "Pre...

Dean in 2004 Meetup I want to thank Meetup.com for creating a platform for people to organize around the issues we all care about. I hope to attend Meetups of my supporters as I travel the nation, and my campaign will provide suggested issues that need to be discussed, as well as ask for organizational help to build our campaign at future Meetups. One issue that I think is appropriate for the February 5th Meetup is the pending war with Iraq. I hope that those who attend will look at positions of all the Democratic candidates for President on the war, and square it with the vote they cast on the Iraqi Resolution that gave President Bush a blank check to prosecute the war when he decides to do so. I opposed the Iraqi Resolution and believe the President must make his case to the American people before sending our armed forces in harms way. Please visit my website at www.deanforamerica.com and I hope to see you at a future Meetup! Thank You Howard Dean

The flag of the Confederacy, emblem of the Southern Strategy but not much else, is a trap for Democrats. The Charlotte Observer has a story about how the issue was addressed by the various Democratic candidates: So far, Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York civil rights activist, all have spoken out against the flag. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has said in interviews that the flag is a divisive symbol and that he opposes it on the State House grounds. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has said he doesn't personally support the flag, but he believes it's a local issue. The controversy had quieted until earlier this month. Newly elected Gov. Mark Sanford irritated some fellow Republicans by asking Darby, who supports the boycott, to give the inaugural invocation. The same week, Gephardt was asked his position on the flag. In an interview with The (Columb...

by way of Hesiod , this is a link to the Republican National Committee's talking points on Dean. Essential reading for the Dean Defense Forces. Note the resurgence of the " ultra liberal " theme that I mentioned in my earlier post. Here are some of the major points: DEAN IS ULTRA-LIBERAL ON CIVIL UNIONS If Elected President, Dean Would Honor Civil Unions As A Matter Of National Policy "'As president of the United States, I will recognize civil unions, which will then allow full equality under the law as far as the federal government is concerned,' Dean said in a speech to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention in Philadelphia." (Ross Sneyd, "Dean Would Recognize Civil Unions As President," [Barre-Montpelier] Times Argus, September 14, 2002) Note how the implication is that Dean would force civil unions on et rest of the country, when Dean's actual quote was that this is an issue for states and that ...

The Yale Daily News presents a glimpse at Dean's background at Yale, graduating in 1971, and identifying with the Beatle's Walrus: "He loved the album, ran around singing it all the time, and seemed to land on 'I am the Walrus,'" Bill Kerns '71 said. "When you ran into him singing 'I am the Walrus' you knew he was identifying with it and laughing at himself in the same breath. We all sang along with Howard, buzzed by his phenomenal energy." Now, the former Beatles-belting Yalie and longtime governor of the nation's 49th-most populous state is trying to harness this energy in his campaign for the presidency.... Robson, an Iowa native and resident, said he has been following Dean's progress in the state, which holds the nation's first caucus and has traditionally played a key role in the presidential nomination process. Robson said politicians often think the race comes down to "who can pump the most money into...

By popular demand, Aziz has created a bumper sticker which prominently features the official Dean campaign website address! Click on the link to see the new sticker, then take a few moments to browse the rest of the products. Buy now and buy often! UPDATE (by Aziz) : I'd just like to make a note, that merchandise from the Dean store is NOT the best way to contribute financially to the Dean campaign. If you want to support Dean, the best way is to contribute money directly to Dean , not to cafepress. The Dean merchandise is important, in that it helps raise Dean's profile and gets the word out - which is essential to Dean's campaign (because it broadens the pool of potential contributors !). And items like Dean 2004 bumper stickers are critical in helping to build that critical mass which Dean will need to conquer Iowa and NH and ultimately, the nomination. But, if you have a fixed budget, and have to choose between buying a bumper sticker or sending three bucks...

A scathing article in Roll Call insinuates that Dean's critique of Kerry is hypocritical: Is Howard Dean For Real? Well, Not Entirely By Morton M. Kondracke Roll Call Contributing Writer January 27, 2003 Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean ought to do well in the Iowa Democratic caucuses — unless the anti-war folks out there find out where he really stands on Iraq. Unfortunately, the full text of teh article is available to subscribers only. If anyone can provide a transcript, please email!

From the Boston Herald, more about Dean's criticism of Kerry's inconsistency about war with Iraq: During a campaign stop in New Hampshire, Dean noted tartly that Kerry (D-Mass.) and other Democratic White House hopefuls voted last fall to give President Bush authority to use military force against Iraq. ``Now they're trying to say, ``We tried to constrain the president,' '' Dean told reporters in the leadoff primary state. ``Nonsense. They all voted to give the president a blank check.'' ... Dean's sharp words came as Kerry delivered a major foreign policy address at Georgetown University, ripping into Bush for failing to build international support as he pushes toward a risky war with Iraq. ``I say to the president, show respect for the process of international diplomacy because it is not only right, it can make America stronger - and show the world some appropriate patience in building a genuine coalition,'' Kerry said. ``Mr. P...

The Christian Science Monitor has a report from a Dean interview with the press in Concord. Excellent story, with great soundbites of Dean in full I-am-different mode. It reveals that Dean has taken to referring to his primary opponents as "the four guys from Congress" which is a brilliant catchphrase. Excerpts follow: Former Vermont governor Howard Dean accused his Democratic presidential primary opponents yesterday of trying to run against the very Republican policies they'd supported in Congress. "I think our party is suffering because we keep nominating people who will say anything they have to say to get elected," he said. ... "Our candidates think the best way to get elected is to talk to everybody about voting for things like the leave-every-school board-behind education bill, which is going to cost the New Hampshire taxpayers $109 million," he said. ". . . . I can't wait for those four guys from Congress to come up here and...

As Dean's star rises, he has started to draw fire from the GOP infrastructure. This is a good thing in that Dean is lent legitimacy by their attacks - after all, it proves he is a threat. But at the same time it is important to address these nascent talking points, still in their draft forms, before they can balloon out of control and do serious damage during the real election. Remember that Gore never really recovered from the "I invented the Internet" smear, nor did Clinton ever escape the "definition of "is" is" attack - even though both of these were ultimately defensible statements which were twisted into hostile conventional wisdom. And Dean's habit of being open and saying what he thinks is fuel for these fires. Below are two examples of these "attack bites". Attack Bite #1: "Bush is the Taliban" During Dean's NARAL speech, Yahoo reports Dean to have said: Dean's medical background gave him an aura of c...

Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords (I) announced his support for the candidacy of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean at a Washington fundraiser today. “I came here for one reason,” said Jeffords, who arrived in the middle of Dean’s speech, “I wanted to be with the next President of the United States.” The event, which took place in the house of a supporter in Washington’s Seward Square, was unexpectedly well attended. As many as 150 people crowded the house, each donating between $25 and $250 towards Dean’s efforts to qualify for federal matching funds. People were pressed up against one another from the front to the back door, with people looking down from the second-floor balcony, unable to make it down the stairs due to the size of the gathering. In what was perhaps the most memorable line of his speech to the packed house, Dean said, “anyone who embraces supply-side economics has a serious cognitive problem.” Also covered at the event were Dean’s views on missile defense (Dean...

update: Texans (and everyone else, of course ::smile::), click here to donate online and help the Dean campaign reach the $5000 goal! Wednesday night I attended a Dean fundraiser in Dallas, Texas, hosted by Dr Adam Starr and his wife Heidi. First I'd like to say a big thank you to the Starrs for opening their home to us, and for being incredibly gracious and enthusiastic Dean supporters. Now onward with the update... The fundraiser was a small but successful event. Everyone who attended ended up writing checks, and some were so charged up after hearing Dean speak that they have promised to help organise future fundraisers. Dr Starr created a very informative handout which explained how the federal matching funds work. Essentially, Dean must raise $5000 in twenty states ( these contributions must be made in increments of $250 or less ) in order to be eligible for federal matching funds. This is why it's so important to raise this money now: the sooner Dean gets t...

The official campaign website for the Dean campaign has had a very nice overhaul. Not much new content yet, but the site is far more professional. One minor gripe is that (IMHO) there should be links to Dean netroot support websites (particularly this one :) on the front page, perhaps in the left column below "We Need Your Support". The Dean Meetup site icon: should also be featured prominently on the sidebar. I've actually spoken with Joe Trippi, Dean's media consultant, via email and he has mentioned that this redesign is going to encompass much more than mere layout changes. I've asked for an archive of Dean speeches and video, and transcripts, I hope they are able to deliver. Joe also promises that Dean will send the DeanBlog a personal message shortly, so keep tuned right here :) The main advantages of fervent netroot support are communities. The Dean Forum is one, Dean Meetup is another, as are the considerable number of readers on this site who fr...

C-SPAN has updated their site with a link to Dean's speech to NARAL this week (link via LiberalOasis ) :   CSPAN Video: NARAL speeches In addition, TNR has an analysis of the speech up. The article analyses each of the candidates speeches to the powerful pro-choice group, and unsurprisingly, Dean gets the best reviews Edwards's NARAL speech was another unexpected dud. Edwards is still better at retail politics than he is at wholesale politics. The charm he exudes in small groups rarely comes across before large audiences. ... Joe Lieberman's speech was short and mono-thematic. Here it is in digest form: "We value women's health. ... Those are our values. ... American values. ... Constitutional values. ... Constitutional and American values. ... Neither side has a monopoly of values ... an American value ... an American value ... an American value. ... I am pro-values." ... The candidate who most needed to reassure NARAL, though, was Gephardt...

Here are some of the bloggers commenting on Dean's recent performance, or otherwise: Liberal Oaisis , MyDD , Political Parrhesia , Left in the West , Pleasant , Backup Brain , Into the Breach , Dean's now led the Democrats.com straw vote poll for the Democratic nominee for three weeks in a row, out-polling the second place finisher Kerry by nearly a 2:1 margin. From Vermont, here's Seven Days VT's snippet on Dean in DC: Deanwatch 2004 — No shortage of glowing reviews of Howard Dean’s fiery performance Saturday at the Lind County Democratic Dinner in Marion, Iowa. Ho-Ho shared the podium with Rep. Dick Gephardt and Sen. John Kerry. C-Span ran the speeches twice on Sunday evening. The contrast between the new guy and the established veterans was like that between two lighted matches flickering in the wind and a bonfire of political sanity. Dr. Dean opened his 25-minute speech by taking on the issue of the day — Bush’s announced opposition to the aff...

C-SPAN has updated their site with a link to Dean's speech at the Linn County Iowa Democratic Fundraising Dinner :   CSPAN Video If anyone can send in a transcript, please let us know! This speech is fantastic...

Reuters has a report about the Iowa event this Saturday where Dean, Gephardt, and Kerry all presented themselves to Iowa democrats. By all accounts, Dean came across strong: The standing-room-only dinner gave the candidates their first major showcase in Iowa, and they used it to take turns bashing Bush and offering their vision for the nation. ... The fiery Dean earned the night's biggest cheers, drawing a huge roar when he hammered Bush for characterizing Michigan's college admissions policy a quota system and when he said Democrats have failed to stand up for their principles. He won a partial standing ovation when he said he was the only Democrat in the presidential field to oppose the congressional resolution authorizing military action against Iraq. Kerry and Gephardt, who both voted for the resolution, sat quietly. "I came here leaning toward Kerry and I still am," Genie Oster, a student at the University of Iowa, said after the speeches. "B...

This is a weekend Washimngton Post story on Dean - another first-person narrative from someone attending Dean's speech at the National Press Club (Charles has previously blogged extensive coverage and photos of that event ). Fairly straight forward coverage, cautiously optimistic, draws all teh usual historical parallels. The meat of the article is Dean's focus on his potential base of support: "I intend to win," Dean says, which is what they all say -- except he lists his constituencies. One, of course, is gays, who are grateful for his signing of Vermont's civil unions law. This could make white southerners see red, but Dean says those alienated could be balanced out by a showing by blacks, who he says "respond to my message that I want everyone to be free." One of his African American Yale roommates is organizing for the South Carolina primary. He thinks he will appeal to fiscal conservatives, because he is the only Democrat in the field w...

I'm not sure if the link will work, but this is a link to C-SPAN's video of Dean's farewell address to the Vermont Legislature, on Jan. 12th 2003. You can also access it by going to the CSPAN webpage and searching for "Howard Dean" in the search box. CSPAN says that video may be pulled from eth archive after 15 days, so this may not be up for much longer.   CSPAN Video

Gary Hart has announced his deliberations regarding a run for President in 2004 (Can't these guys just say, "I'm running", and be done with it?) By all accounts, Hart is an intelligent man, but given that he has been off the stage for 20 years, his stance on the various issues is almost totally unknown. They have set up a campaign website, however, and he is attracting attention. How this factors into Dean's candidacy is anyone's guess (feel free to speculate wildly on the Dean Forum! :) The Washington POst has a short piece on Hart's decision , revealing him to have a sense of humor: Hart's Web site describes him as "a new elder statesman" and his Web biography lists his background as a "prolific author, lecturer, teacher, scholar and attorney." But the event that ended Hart's 1988 presidential run is not mentioned – his romantic involvement with a young model named Donna Rice. Hart, who practices international law i...

The New York Times Magazine ran an article by Tucker Carlson (the guy with the bowtie on "Crossfire") about how the Democratic party can rejuvinate itself. Carlson called Dean, who came out swinging: Will the Democrats get one in 2004? To find out, I called Howard Dean, the former longtime governor of Vermont and newly announced candidate for the White House. Parties are often revived by insurgents from within them -- Reagan, Gingrich -- and Dean is nothing if not an insurgent. Plus, I'd heard that he's a straight-shooter. He is. While other candidates divulge their positions on uncomfortable social issues almost parenthetically, Dean leads with his. He is for needle exchanges, unrestricted abortion and civil unions between homosexuals, and he's happy to tell you about it. Most politicians squirm at the mention of partial-birth abortion. Not Dean. ''Partial-birth abortion is a manufactured issue,'' he says. ''It's [expletive]. P...

I realise this isn't Dean-specific, but felt it would be of interest. Apparently former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley-Braun is considering entering the race for the Presidency. She is expected to attend the Democrat's annual winter gathering, and may annouce her candidacy before the event. Mosely-Braun has the distinction of being the first black female elected to the Senate, but was unseated after serving only one term. If she enters the race, Mosely-Braun isn't expected to be a major contender. However, her presense may lead to a more expansive debate. It would also be an historic event, marking the first time a black American female has ever run for the highest office in the land. As an aside, I was happy to see that the article listed Governor Dean first among the Democratic contenders. Is this a sign that the press is beginning to take him more seriously?

If anyone in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area would like to attend a cocktail party fundraiser in support of Howard Dean, please visit the link above. The purpose of the fundraiser is to raise $5000 in contributions of $250 or less so that the campaign will be eligible for federal matching funds. The fundraiser will be held next Wednesday, January 22 at 6:30pm. If you can make it, we'd love to have you. For more information, including address and phone number, please visit that link. Thank you! Disclaimer: The link above leads to my own blog. Opinions expressed do not neccessarily reflect those of the Dean blog contributors or the candidate.

Prompted by a comment left by Ariella, I found some direct statements which clarify Dean's stance on some "hot-button" issues. Dean on gun control : "If you say "gun control" in Vermont or Tennessee, or Colorado, people think you want to take away their hunting rifle. If you say "gun control" in New York or L.A., people are happy to see Uzi's or illegal handguns taken off the streets. I think Vermont ought to be able to have a different set of laws than California. Let's keep and enforce the federal gun laws we have, close the gun show loophole using Insta-check, and then let the states decide for themselves what if any gun control laws they want. We need to get guns off the national radar screen if Democrats are ever going to win again in the South and the West, and if we can't win in the South and the West, we can't win national elections. In 2000, guns cost us at least West Virginia, Tennessee, and Montana, and with them t...

BY way of referrals from Eric , I noticed that Doonesbury has noticed Dean as well: (January 8th, 2003 strip) With Dean's recent media appearances and now this, there has been an enormous tidal wave of hits on the DeanBlog. I'd like to welcome Jeff and Charles to the blog team as well.

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has exploded onto the pages of America's major newspapers today, partly because of his NPC speech and partly because of a new poll showing him in second place in New Hampshire. Here are some of the more important articles: Vermont's Dean finds pace quickening on presidential run From The Boston Globe : At this point, Dean appears to have modeled his campaigning on Jimmy Carter's early start that led to the relatively unknown governor of Georgia winning the 1976 election, a strategy that has not worked as well for any presidential candidate since then. ''He'd like to play Jimmy Carter in the movie,'' said Democratic consultant Peter Fenn. ''But I'm not sure the movie script is the same as it was in 1976.'' Garrison Nelson, a political scientist at the University of Vermont, said that Dean has ''got three problems: demographics, strategy, and temperament.'' Dean has li...

One of our alert readers (Thanks, Scott!) sent us a note with the following message: "I'm sure many will note that Dean has better name recognition in NH than in much of the rest of the country, but what the hell - name recognition in NH means a good showing in the primary, media attention... " The poll showed Kerry at 27% and Dean at 15%. All other candidates (even Lieberman and Edwards) polled in single digits. According to the research firm conducting the poll, "With Gore out of the race, preference for Kerry has increased 17 percentage points and preference for Dean has increased 13 percentage points." Now granted, a majority of voters were still undecided, but a favorable showing in New Hampshire could add serious momentum to Dean's candidacy. We'll continue to watch the polls as the campaign season draws near.

This morning, presidential candidate and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean spoke at the National Press Club, where he drew sharp contrasts with President Bush on taxes, healthcare, education and Iraq and delved into specific policy proposals. Dean’s speech was part of a “media briefing and national policy forum” entitled “What is the Real State of the Union?” held jointly by The Atlantic Monthly and the New America Foundation. Dean was introduced by James Fallows of The Atlantic Monthly, who introduced him in the context of what he called “the simultaneous opportunity and burden [Dean] has” as filling “the slot for the ‘interesting candidate.’” Dean opened the speech, which was significantly longer than the remarks he made to the AFL-CIO last Friday, with a not-so-subtle reminder that he is the only candidate with executive experience in the race for the Democratic nomination. Playing on the title of the event, Dean said, “I’m the only person in the room to have given a stat...

Senator Joseph Liberman has announced his intent to seek the Presidency in 2004: "We must rise above politics and restore independence to the White House, not compromise our economic or environmental or health security for political contributors or extreme ideologues. We must rise above partisan politics and stand up for our values here at home, because family and faith and responsibility matter more than power and partisanship and privilege." Personally, I do not believe that Senator Lieberman can beat George W Bush. Lieberman is one of those Democrats that makes me vote Green. What I mean by that is that Lieberman isn't distinguishable from many of his Republican counterparts. His voting record is very conservative, and like many congressional Democrats, he's caved in to almost every bad piece of legislation the Republicans have offered since 9/11. I don't believe this will be an attractive thing to the average Democrat on the street. Overall, Lieb...

I wanted to make sure that everyone is aware that as of this morning, the official Dean campaign website is back online. The site has not been updated yet (my earlier assumptions was incorrect), however, you may once again offer donations online.

The official Dean For America campaign website is offline as of this writing, most likely to failure to renew the DNS registration. The campaign has made an effort to recognize its netroot support recently, for example Joe Trippi (Dean's media consultant) has actually contacted the admins of this blog indicating that Governor Dean may want to send us a message soon (we are extremely eager and await further reply). Hopefully it won't be the same text as the boilerplate fundraising email sent out last week: To: Subject: Governor Dean needs your help... Dear Supporter, About a year ago, I started traveling across the United States to share my vision for our country with the American people. I believed that the Governor of a small state with little national reputation could impact the nation by discussing the issues that directly impact the lives of all Americans. We must have health care for every American. We must balance the budget. Our economic policies mu...

I noticed that sometime during the past few days, Howard Dean's official campaign website has gone offline. Officials from the campaign recently stated that they intended to update the website sometime soon. I'm not 100% sure, but I assuming that this downtime is related to the planned upgrade. Unfortunately, since the domain is defaulting to the enom.com homepage, the campaign is unable to accept online donations at the moment. If you'd like to contribute to the campaign, you may do so by emailing the following address: Dean for America P.O. Box 1228 Burlington, VT 05402 (802)846-6600

By Charles D, guest blogger from We’re Left, They’re Wrong This evening, former Vermont Governor and current presidential hopeful Howard Dean, MD appeared at the Capitol Hilton, blocks away from the White House, to accept the AFL-CIO’s first annual Paul Wellstone award. During the reception that preceded the dinner and awards ceremony, the former Governor worked the crowd, which was full of the bud-light swilling, “NASCAR Democrats” to which Senator John Edwards hopes to lay claim. While schmoozing with AFL-CIO president John Sweeney and other labor bigwigs, Dean, who unlike the archetypal candidate, did not have anyone whispering in his ear, was followed by only one video camera and precious few still photographers. In fact, Dean did not have much of an audience at all, as witnessed by the fact that I physically bumped into him by accident on more than one occasion. One wonders if many of the attendees even recognized him. At the dinner, your loyal correspondent was unmasked as a gate...

On Friday, Dean will be awarded the AFL-CIO's First Annual Paul Wellstone Award, for his support of nurses on strike in VT. Here are some excerpts from the AP filing: MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Presidential hopeful Gov. Howard Dean will be honored Friday by the national AFL-CIO with an award bound to boost his image among labor as competition for the labor vote among Democratic contenders intensifies. Dean will receive the inaugural AFL-CIO Senator Paul Wellstone Award for his support of a successful effort by nurses to unionize Vermont's largest hospital. Stewart Acuff, the union's organizing director, said the award did not signal labor's endorsement of Dean. ``There is no message connected with the presidential campaign,'' he said. ``The labor movement appreciates greatly political leaders who go out of their way to help workers.'' But political ramifications remain . ``The symbolic nature of this is very important,'' said...

Tom Daschle has announced that he won't run for the Democratic nomination in 2004. This plays to Dean's benefit. It seems doubtful that Lieberman or Gephardt will run either (and even if they do, they will fizzle out quickly). This really leaves only three names in the race: Dean, Kerry, and Edwards. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle announced Tuesday he won't seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but will stay in his current job to help his party enact alternatives to President Bush's "failed economic policy." The announcement surprised even some of his closest aides, one of whom told CNN plans were being made for Daschle to announce his candidacy Saturday in his hometown of Aberdeen, South Dakota The aide said he made up his mind after taking one last "gut check" Monday night. ... "The country is about to begin a series of defining debates about the future -- on economic policy, homeland securit...

An interesting piece in the New York Times Magazine, which looks at the rise of doctors in politics (as opposed to the current domination of the field by lawyers). It wistfully wonders how Dean and Frist might enrich the public debate: There are a lot of issues right now that I would like to hear Frist and Dean discuss. After all, more and more of policy is tied to medicine: AIDS, stem-cell research, health insurance and H.M.O.'s, Medicare, prescription drug benefits, drug use and mental illness. It would be thrilling to have these issues considered as science instead of as politics and morality. And there's no reason to think that they would have to stop at medicine. Good doctors understand how affordable housing, a good education and secure jobs actually contribute to our physical health. I would rather trust a doctor to make a decision about war than I would a businessman or a lawyer; a doctor is more likely to remember the value of the lives he would be sacrificing. ...

Howard Dean appeared on CBS' Face the Nation yesterday (January 5th). The transcript follows, and Liberal Oasis has a nice comparison of Dean's performance in comparison with John Edwards' appearance on ABC's This Week. CBS Face the Nation transcript follows: SCHIEFFER: When we come back, we'll talk a little politics with Governor Howard Dean, in a minute. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) SCHIEFFER: And now from Burlington, Vermont, Governor Howard Dean. Governor, I believe you were the first of the Democrats to say that you would seek the presidential nomination this year. This is your second appearance on Face the Nation. We hope to have you back again, as well as all of the other candidates who are seeking the nomination. Let's start right in on some specifics. You just heard what Senator McCain said. He said we should tell the Japanese that they should start a nuclear weapons program of their own because North Korea now poses a threat to them...

This is a standard first-person perspective piece from a correspondent who heard Dean speak and came away impressed. It's reminiscent of the West Wing episode where Josh decides to work for Bartlett instead of whats-his-name. This analogy will probably please the Dean campaign :) but hey, if life imitates art, grab on. Excerpt: The smallish room is packed. Then Dean starts to speak. I've heard my share of forgettable stump speeches with lots of rhetoric, feel-good lines, winks and little substance. But Dean, as he gets going, has a lot to say. Renewable energy is a national security issue. We need to free ourselves from Middle Eastern oil. "If we had a renewable energy policy we would not be sending our kids to Iraq." A prerequisite for peace in the Middle East is for the United States to seriously pressure the Saudis, Syrians and Iranians to stop support for terrorism. Dean evokes Harry Truman. "We have to have a party that believes in our message....