This article presents a very wide spectrum of views about how Dean-O (as W calls him) could fare against the president. For my part, I’m increasingly unsure. Dean clearly represents something real: blue state upper middle class rage. It’s healthy that this is given expression, however polarizing it might be. And conviction counts for something, if Dean can convey conviction to the broader public. That’s something conservatives learned from Reagan and Thatcher, two figures once placed in the long-odds category that Dean is now in. The media will give Dean major support – not least because most journalists will vote for him but also because everyone wants a competitive race. If the Dems decide early, there will be even more media hunger for a viable challenger in the summer and fall. As 9/11 fades from memory, and as deficits continue to soar, Dean’s anti-war zeal and Yankee frugality could count for something. I’d still say the odds are against him. But they’re not impossible. He certainly seems more formidable in terms of will and energy than anyone else. And those things count.
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PALESTINIAN STUDENT POLITICS: It’s a little different at Bir Zeit University:
At a debate, the Hamas candidate asked the Fatah candidate: “Hamas activists in this university killed 135 Zionists. How many did Fatah activists from Bir Zeit kill?”
Not enough, clearly.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Dennis Kucinich may not have Al Gore – but he does have Alice Walker.
The Dish 