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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (49692)	6/9/2004 5:59:31 PM
From: Andrew N. Cothran	Respond to of 793670

Democrats and Dean: what might have been Jules Witcover ------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON - The slogan of Campaign for America's Future, the umbrella group of progressive political organizations that just concluded its election-year conference here, is "Take Back America." A year ago, many of its members believed they had found their leader in that effort in former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. He wowed the assemblage then with a rip-roaring speech against President Bush and his war in Iraq, pointedly criticizing the Democratic Party for not standing up to him with all oratorical guns blazing. This time, Dr. Dean gave them a lusty encore, but as a vigorous supporter of the candidacy of the man who beat him for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. He excoriated every leading member of the Bush administration from the president on down, on every issue from the war and the economy to corporate corruption and the environment. "I'm going to do everything I can to get John Kerry elected president of the United States," he said, to thunderous cheers that the more low-key Mr. Kerry might not have generated here. Dr. Dean touted his own new Internet-driven organization, Democracy for America, as a means of energizing the roughly half of eligible voters who don't bother to cast ballots. He ended with a rousing, shouting call to political battle that approached in intensity his notorious primary-night rant in Iowa that effectively scuttled his own campaign. It was understandable if many of these highly charged soldiers in the Democratic Party's progressive wing were left with thoughts of what might have been in listening to the pugnacious, combative Vermonter. But most of the 2,000 attendees appeared ready to fall in line behind Mr. Kerry while chuckling at chiding references to his talents as a campaigner. Jim Hightower, the liberal Texas humorist and former state agriculture commissioner, got a rise from the crowd by observing at one point: "I don't care if John Kerry is a sack of cement. We'll carry him to victory." Mr. Hightower, always reaching for a laugh, then offered: "I have a two-step program for you. First we get rid of Bush. Then we get rid of Kerry." That jibe did not seem to sit well with the next speaker, columnist Arianna Huffington. "We don't want to carry John Kerry into the White House like a big sack of cement," she said, "we want him to lead us there," an observation that drew applause. "I'm solidly behind the Democratic nominee, period." Among the numerous panels at the conference, the best-attended was one called "Real Security and the Iraq Debacle." Here, too, there was a tolerance for Mr. Kerry's position on the war, which many saw as insufficiently critical of the Bush policy, especially his call for more U.S. troops to deal with security, even as he presses for internationalizing the task. David Cortright, president of the peace-oriented Fourth Freedom Forum, argued that Mr. Kerry would be helped politically by calling for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Mr. Cortright said he understood the political need of Mr. Kerry "to be cautious on Iraq, but we need to encourage him to be more forthcoming" and give up the idea of sending more American forces there. Another panelist, Melvin A. Goodman, a senior fellow of the Center for International Policy, called on Mr. Kerry to return to his earlier, more forceful oratory as an anti-war Vietnam veteran, saying Mr. Kerry needs to "stop speaking so much from his mind and start speaking from his gut." Such comments convey a yearning among progressives for the sort of foot-stomping bombast that Howard Dean served up a year ago and offered again at this year's conference. Dr. Dean, in his speech, acknowledged that the party had finally picked up on his call to "stand up to" Mr. Bush on the war. But many progressives clearly feel that not enough of the Dean thunder and clarity have been heard from Mr. Kerry, who supported Mr. Bush's war resolution and has been occupied explaining that vote ever since. Jules Witcover writes from The Sun's Washington bureau. His column appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Copyright © 2004, The Baltimore Sun \| Get home delivery