HOWARD DEAN'S FUTURE

Howard Dean speaks at Stanford.

One of the biggest applause lines came when he challenged the radical right's claim to ownership of Christian rhetoric. Jesus, he declared, was about including the downtrodden, and the Republicans, with their insistence on public displays of religion, resemble nothing more than the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

There's more interesting stuff here, including a preface to the debate, Would Dean better serve the party and the nation as DNC chair, or as candidate for president in '08?

A Deaniac, I opt for the former. Our best people don't always make the best presidential candidates (read: Hillary), but they remain our best people nonetheless. As I said in an earlier post, Dean would be a refreshing and energetic lifeforce in an increasingly moribund party -- we may be right, but we're just not winning the battle for American hearts and minds. Surely Howard can do better than Terry McAuliffe or the DLC. There won't be another Bill Clinton, God love him, anytime soon, but to know Howard is to love him also. As party guiding light, he could make a real difference, and who says he can't still run for president in '08 if conditions change?