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If he had said something along the lines of "primary votesr should think twice before supporting a candidate who wasn't a Democrat until 25 days ago" I wouldn't have that big a problem. But simply because someone hasn't "come out" as a Democrat doesn't make them a Republican. After all, there are quite a few independents out there.
Besides, even if Clark hadn't formally announced his party affiliation until 25 days ago, the writing was on the wall by the 2002 elections, when Clark campaigned exclusively on behalf of Democratic candidates. Doesn't sound like a Republican to me.
Furthermore, this charge smacks of hypocrisy, which is bad enough for any candidate, but it especially bad in the case of straight talking Howard Dean, who holds himself to a higher standard than the beltway crowd. After all, one of Dean's most prominent supporters is Jim Jeffords -- who clearly WAS a Republican until only a few years ago (he endorsed Bush in 2000) and STILL hasn't formally become a Democrat (though he caucuses with the Democrats, he's technically an independent). And wasn't Dean holding private talks with Clark and seeking his advice on foreign policy not too long ago? Wasn't Dean hoping for Clark's support? Would he be doing any of this if he genuinely believed that Clark was a Republican?
(And before people bring this up, I disagreed with Lieberman's attacks on Clark too.)
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