Nice article about Dean

[jeffreyi]

http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/03-6om/McKibben.html

[Larkspur]

1. Fate and Destiny

Fate -- in the curious and counterintuitive fashion that fate often operates -- just might have chosen the unlikely Howard Dean as the volcano through which that passion could pour.

Like the stories of Seabiscuit and Joe Montana, Fate doesn't always choose the most physically perfect being as champion. Seabiscuit had excellent pedigree -- grandson of the great Man O' War, but inherited bad conformation faults; yet in a horse-on-horse race against Triple Crown Winner War Admiral, Seabiscuit blew passed the more physically perfect horse. Joe Montana had a weak passing arm and wasn't as gifted physically as Dan Marino, but it is Joe Montana who wears 4 Super Bowl rings and 3 SB MVP's. Dan Marino set the quarterback records, but wears no Super Bowl rings.

The difference between the physically perfect and the imperfect champion is that the latter knows how to deal with the cards they are dealt with and find ways to win despite their faults.

In Howard Dean's case, I think that this author misses some of Dean's fighting spirit and overlooked talent -- taking a $60 million deficit and turning it into a surplus, taking the worse bond rating in New England and making it the best, and paying down a quarter of Vermont's debt despite governing through 2 Bush recessions. Dean's courage was also evident in the greatest fight of his political life -- the 2000 Vermont gubernatorial election, which happened after signing the Civil Unions bill. Dean won with 50.45% of the vote. It was his closest election and he proved that he could fight and win.

Howard Dean reminds me a lot about Harry Truman, and the times today call for someone like that.

[liberalmuse]

2. Right on the mark...

this article explains why the Dean campaign is exciting and attracting so many people. It's less about the man himself than what the man, AND 'We The People' can do to change this country. What is so remarkable about Dean is that he has become someone we can express our will through.

[mandyky]

3. He gets it that the campaign is every bit as important

as the candidate himself, and has transformed Dean in ways. Dean himself has eluded to the change when he started his bid, and how he feels and where he stands now. Of course, opponents call it flipflopping, but it is okay to change one's mind if facts warrant.
Unlike the current administration just wants to mold facts to fit theories (at best), lies (at worst).