Hammering home that it's Dean's Mouth

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that will be his undoing (as he himself as readily admitted). In a week filled with Dean having to explain his positions or his words or his "evolution", he goes on the record with George Stephanopolous on "This Week" criticiizing "the press guys" for mischaracterizing his supporting NAFTA as being "strong support". Then his competitors point out that he in fact characterized himself that way.

MISQUOTE
by Michael Crowley

Candidate: Howard Dean
Category: Intellectual Honesty
Grade: F

Watching Howard Dean's oddly pugnacious interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder whether Dean is intentionally picking fights with marquee journalists (he also recently snarled at NBC's Tim Russert) in order to fire up his anti-Washington-establishment base. Because on the issue over which Dean was snippiest--NAFTA--his position was absurdly indefensible. After Stephanopoulos began a question by saying that Dean had been a "strong supporter of NAFTA," the former governor testily cut him off: "Where do you get the 'I'm a strong supporter of NAFTA?' I didn't do anything about it. I didn't vote on it. I didn't march down the street supporting it. I wrote a letter supporting it."

Stephanopoulos was unprepared for this challenge--but Dean's rivals certainly weren't. Within hours the Kerry campaign had emailed around press releases doing to Dean what a rocket-propelled grenade might do to a cardboard box. It turns out that eight years ago--on the very same show, no less--Dean had proclaimed: "I was a very strong supporter of NAFTA. I believe it's going to create jobs in the United States of America." And the Kerry camp pointed out that, irony of ironies, yesterday's interview came ten years to the day after Dean's appearance at the White House's NAFTA bill-signing ceremony. (The Kerry campaign was somehow even able to provide the original, decade-old press release for the event--an impressive display of opposition-research firepower.)

In a Democratic party cursed by a lack of compelling messengers, Dean's sharp, concise speaking style holds real promise. But not if his rhetorical bluntness becomes arrogant, knee-jerk certitude.