Hardball video clip, partial transcript at MSNBC of Dean interview.

[madfloridian]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12174553/

Matthews asked him about impeachment:

"HOWARD DEAN, CHAIRMAN DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: It's interesting, I think the real election issue in this election is do you want more of the same or do you want something different. We’re different. We’re not like the Republicans.

We don’t jump to conclusions, we don’t think impeachment is as trivial as the Republicans seemed to think it was when they tried to impeach President Clinton.

I think we ought to stick with the facts, lets find out what the facts are. But this notion is automatically we are going to raise taxes, impeach the president, this is nonsense. This is right wing stuff and that’s why the Republicans are in such trouble. They just make this stuff up and they put it out there."

I think these guys are out of credibility. As you were talking about Pat Buchanan and Willie Brown, think of what George Bush has brought to Washington: his own procurement officer, arrested and indicted; the chief of staff of the vice president, arrested and indicted; the Republican leader of the United States Senate, Republican Bill Frist, under investigation for insider trading; Tom DeLay, resigned.

AND this is when Matthews laughed. Kind of rude, but Dean's statement was great.

"MATTHEWS: Is Tom DeLay still a poster boy for corruption for the Democrats?

DEAN: We don’t need Tom DeLay as a poster boy for corruption. We have Karl Rove who still has a security clearance after leaking the name of a security agent. We’ve have got Bill Frist, we’ve got Dick Cheney’s chief of staff. We have got so many poster boys for corruption in the Republican Party that, you know, I think this is good for America that Tom DeLay has stepped down and now we’re on to the next thing."

[madfloridian]

1. On impeachment, he was fair and did not become vindictive.

"We don’t jump to conclusions, we don’t think impeachment is as trivial as the Republicans seemed to think it was when they tried to impeach President Clinton."

Now that was a good statement.

"I think we ought to stick with the facts, lets find out what the facts are. But this notion is automatically we are going to raise taxes, impeach the president, this is nonsense. This is right wing stuff and that’s why the Republicans are in such trouble. They just make this stuff up and they put it out there."

Another good statement, should not be automatically assumed.

"Are we going to treat people with respect? Yes. Are we going to run off and indict the president for no reason? Of course, we’re not going to do that. We want to bring this back to the days when America was governed by people who people understood America is more important than their own political party."

Key words, for no reason.

He handled that issue well.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Dean is the unwavering, clear, concise, dignified voice of the Dems.

Thanks for posting such uplifting, edifying words to bolster our resolve.

[blm]

3. He was great, last night. Tweety actually let him finish his sentences

for a change.

I guess he HAD to dodge the impeachment question from Tweety, but he turned it around advantageously by saying they wanted to UNITE America.