Foes attack Dean on his actual strong point

[sfecap]

Foes attack Dean on his actual strong point

01/07/04

David Sarasohn

Listening to Sunday's Democratic debate in Iowa, and to most of the rest of the Democratic primary campaign, it's easy to see what most Democratic candidates consider the major reason they're running for president:

Howard Dean.

If they'd ever seemed this distressed about George Bush, they might not now have to be so worried about Howard Dean.

(snip)

Lieberman has been attacking Dean for his opposition to the war on Iraq -- an issue on which the bulk of Democratic primary voters seem to agree with Dean and not Lieberman. He's also highly upset about what he calls Dean's attacks on the Clinton legacy.

The Connecticut senator, of course, first became nationally prominent by being the first Senate Democrat to denounce Clinton for his behavior with Monica Lewinsky. Lieberman's attachment to the former president seems to have deepened since then.

Kerry's fall from his 2002 front-runner status is also closely connected with his vote in support of the war, which Dean cited again Sunday in Iowa. Kerry has been wrestling with that vote, and losing, ever since. After defending it, he then claimed that he'd been misled by the administration, but after the capture of Saddam Hussein, he started sounding prouder of his vote.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1073480560167220.xml

1. if

If they'd ever seemed this distressed about George Bush, they might not now have to be so worried about Howard Dean.


ouch!!!

[Capn Sunshine]

2. Let them paint themselves into their corners

it's amusing to watch.

[RetroLounge]

3. Yeah, that's a keeper!

"If they'd ever seemed this distressed about George Bush, they might not now have to be so worried about Howard Dean."

[Scott Lee]

8. ZIINGGGG what a one liner.

And oh so true.

To the other Dem candidates: How does that egg taste all over your faces?

[poskonig]

4. Attacking Dean on the war was a major mistake.

It brought Lieberman from frontrunner to nobody, and also hurt Kerry to a large extent. Team Kerry didn't take the intiative and let the Dean campaign frame the debate around the IWR. Clark may be pro-war or antiwar, but he at least has enough common sense not to act pro-war in a liberal primary. The big prowar candidates are waaaay out of touch with their base.

[Fleshdancer]

6. You hit the nail on the head...

"Team Kerry didn't take the initiative and let the Dean campaign frame the debate around the IWR"

It doesn't stop with just Kerry and the IWR vote. The Democratic party let the Republicans frame every debate and every issue since the last Presidential campaign.

Then a Democrat like Dean comes along last Summer, frames the debate, and the rest of the party doesn't understand why people follow him?? Am I the only one who wants to scream "It's the leadership stupid!"??

It's also no suprise that in order for the Washington insiders to beat the front runner "outsider", Dean, they have to recruit ANOTHER outsider like Clark! Oh the irony.

[Fleshdancer]

7. kicking because I hate to be a thread killer

:)

[bearfartinthewoods]

15. it's a shame winning the primary doesn't make one president....

5. I can't resist

where's the sniping?
A whole hour and no sniping? Come on! You all ganged up on Helen Thomas!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=77804&mesg_id=77804


What about this guy??

[slinkerwink]

9. heh

[DFLforever]

10. Maybe because the arrow struck too close to home

and maybe because the old habit of attacking Helen Thomas is too hard to kick ...right hand forgetting what the left is doing sort of thing.

[Atlant]

11. They don't get it, do they? (NT)

[LuminousX]

12. Sadly, I think they do 'get it' but are locked in a death spiral

Ignorance is forgiveable. Willful ignorance is a sin without forgiveness.

[Hep]

13. If you can't see through Bush in congress

You're best shot to see the inside of the white house is to take a tour.

[John_H]

14. The war IS Dean's strongest point. His lack of experience

and the way 200 million RoveBucks and the state run media will exploit it, faily or not, is his achilles' heel. If Dean had run on his record--centrist progressive--instead of continiually obfuscating it, even that now-fatal flaw might not be so fatal. As a result the media will dust off the ol' "reinvention" meme from 2000 and start calling Dean Al Gore without the experience.

I'm sorry, folks, like many Dean supporters apparently still do, I thought I was getting a different guy than the one who's campaigning now.

Howard Dean just isn't worth the risk, even though I agree with him on the war 100 percent.

[Hep]

16. Duly noted

n/t

[Kolesar]

18. How did Dean *not* run on his record?

Are you saying that Dean only ran on the war issue??

[Moderator]

17. sfecap

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