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Politics : HOWARD DEAN -THE NEXT PRESIDENT? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eashoa' M'sheekha who wrote (40)	8/6/2003 12:25:59 AM
From: Eashoa' M'sheekha	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3079

Howard Dean A Commentary by Lee Cullum, KERA 90.1 commentator DALLAS, TX (2003-08-05) Howard Dean is emerging in this summer's campaign as the John McCain of the current race for president in terms of his astonishing success raising money on the Internet. Currently, Gov. Dean of Vermont stands at $10.1 million accumulated this year, bested only by Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts at $13 million and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at $12.4 million. Some say this soon will be a two-way race between a couple of New Englanders battling it out to take on George W. Bush. Can Howard Dean, trained as a doctor, married to a practicing physician and tacking as far to the left as he dares, stay the course? Maybe. Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta, told me that African Americans in that city gave Dean a standing ovation a few weeks ago. I interviewed Dean in January and found him unseasoned but highly intelligent, as well as attractive. An Internet expert said that, on-line, he has "substantiated a community." That's a powerful observation. To bring a community into being could be especially important in a year when Democrats have few ideas around which to rally. Some Democrats are horrified, of course. They fear another George McGovern. One party member has sent to be analyzed a handwritten note he received from Dean. This Democrat is convinced the governor's penmanship reveals neurotic tendencies, as if most politicians do not tend in that direction. Others warn that Dean is not the progressive he makes himself out to be. Indeed, said one, he favors the death penalty and is on good terms with the National Rifle Association. A one-time spokesman for Sen. Paul Wellstone, the Minnesota liberal who died a few years ago, pointed out, as one columnist noted, that as governor, Dean did not favor "public financing of campaigns," did favor "time limits on welfare recipients" and "proposed cuts in Medicaid." But the big issue for Howard Dean may be his opposition to the war in Iraq. Currently he is calling for American armed forces in Liberia, party perhaps to present himself as not averse to all military action. But there's no predicting how the Iraqi war will play a year from now. I was asked by a German journalist if Iraq is going to be another Vietnam. I told him no, that we sent over 500,000 troops to Vietnam and lost 50,000 lives. The numbers in Iraq will not be nearly that large. But of course, it only took 18 deaths in Somalia to turn Americans against that mission. Thus far there's no evidence that this is happening today. Support for the operation in Iraq has fallen from about 70 to 56 percent, according to a recent poll. Nonetheless, that's a solid majority. I do anticipate, however, that our warlike, Spartan preoccupation will not last forever. The time will come when the Athenian spirit will reassert itself in the United States by the absolute demand of the American people. They will insist that Donald Rumsfeld's habit of speaking power to truth be replaced with economics and an energetic approach to the environment. The question is: when? If it happens before November 2004, that could help Howard Dean. Those Democrats who worry that Dean might be another McGovern should take a second look at John Kerry. He may in fact be another Michael Dukakis. The Massachusetts moniker could be enough to undo him. If I were George W. Bush, the Democrat who would trouble me most today is Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a moderate who supported the war. But if sentiment turns against our efforts in Iraq, Howard Dean could win his bet against it. It's a long shot, but a shot worth taking. Lee Cullum is a frequent contributor to KERA and the Dallas Morning News. If you have opinions questions about this commentary, call (214) 740-9338 or contact us through our website at KERA.ORG