From
Howard Dean`s Official Campaign Blog today:
Begala and Carville: Dean on K StreetHey, bloggers. This is Paul Begala and James Carville (Paul's on the keyboard, James is on the phone. He's not the most computer literate guy in the world.)
We just wanted to let you know about K Street - a new series debuting on HBO Sunday night at 10:35 eastern. This isn't a commercial, though. We wanted to let you know that your man, Howard Dean, is our featured guest star.
The show, like Gov. Dean, is completely unscripted. Not to give the plot away, but James plays a political consultant/lobbyist who volunteers to prepare Gov. Dean for the Congressional Black Caucus debate. This thoroughly pisses-off his Republican wife, Mary Matalin. So he recruits Paul to help out.
In a gutsy and unconventional move, Gov. Dean agreed not only to appear on the program (as do various Republican Senators) but also to let James and Paul do debate prep with him - as Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and others filmed it. The prep was real - we did it on Monday in anticipation of the CBC debate on Tuesday. We offered him our best and most honest advice. Like any smart person, he took some of it, rejected some of it, and modified some of it.
Because of our "Crossfire" gig, we can't play favorites. We've given advice to every major presidential candidate. But if you like Dean, you'll like him on K Street. He was very funny - did an impression of James that is spot-on. He was also very real. He forgot about the cameras (they're small and the camera operators are very unobtrusive) and the result is an authentic behind-the-scenes look at Gov. Dean preparing for the debate. We offered the governor a few lines, just as we always did for President Clinton. He used one of them - and we hope he uses them all as the campaign progresses.
Again, while we can't and won't endorse anyone in the primaries, both of us were impressed with Gov. Dean and his campaign. They took a big chance, and we think it pays off. Millions of people who never watch "Crossfire" or "Meet the Press" will see Gov. Dean on HBO Sunday night. They'll see an unvarnished, unscripted, plain-speaking guy who really wants to take the fight to President Bush. In a world in which too many politicians are seen as phonies, Gov. Dean comes across as the real thing. What you see is what you get.
We had fun, and hope Gov. Dean did. K Street is groundbreaking television--part fiction, part reality show, part documentary. We hope you like the show. We know you'll like how your candidate did.
Paul Begala and James Carville