Media Matters said Russert mischaracterized Dean's position.

[madfloridian]

SNIP..."Dean had clearly stated that Democrats should change their "vocabulary" but not their "principles" on abortion, and that the Democrats are "the party of allowing people to make up their own minds about medical treatment."END SNIP

He edited the video clip apparently. Then he showed the edited clip to John Harwood.
RUSSERT: John Harwood, are Democrats rethinking their position on cultural, moral issues, on abortion?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200412200002
Videotape edit:

DEAN: I have long believed that we ought to make a home for pro-life Democrats. The Democrats that have stuck with us through their -- who are pro-life, through their long period of conviction, are the kind of pro-life people that we ought to have deep respect for. <...> But we can have a respectful dialogue, and we have to stop demagoguing this issue.

Transcript:
DEAN: We can change our vocabulary, but I don't think we ought to change our principles. The way I think about this is -- and it gets into the gay marriage stuff, too. We're not the party of gay marriage. We're the party of equal rights for all Americans. You know, I signed the first civil unions bill in America, and four years later the most conservative president the United States has seen in my lifetime is now embracing what I signed. We've come a long way. We're not the party of abortion. We're the party of allowing people to make up their own minds about medical treatment. It's just a different way of phrasing it. We have to start framing these issues, not letting them frame the issues.

I have long believed that we ought to make a home for pro-life Democrats. The Democrats that have stuck with us, who are pro-life, through their long period of conviction, are people who are the kind of pro-life people that we ought to have deep respect for. Not only are they pro-life, which, I think, is a moral judgment -- I happen to be strongly pro-choice, as a physician -- but they are pro-life more for moral reasons. They also, if they're in the Democratic Party, are real pro-life. That is, they're pro-life not just for unborn children. They're pro-life for investing in children's programs. They're pro-life for helping small children and young families. They're pro-life in making sure adequate medical care happens to children. That's what you so often lack on the Republican side. They beat the drums about being pro-life but they forget about life after birth. And so I do embrace pro-life Democrats. I think we want them in our party. But we can have a respectful dialogue, and we have to stop demagoguing this issue.

RUSSERT: And if you became chairman of the party, you would actively reach out to pro-life Democrats?

DEAN: I have -- in my campaign, supposedly this liberal campaign, we had a number of pro-life people.

[clarknyc]

1. Of course he did.

That's how Little Russ does it.

[madfloridian]

2. I never saw the video clip.

I watched the whole thing and read the transcript. That was really sneaky editing.

[TyeDye75]

3. SHOCK HORROR (shakes head in disbelief) /nt