9 Democrats, 9 appeals
HOWARD DEAN'S commanding performance in last night's televised debate in New Hampshire was impressive, but his sense of authority may be premature given that there are still seven weeks before the nation's first primary.
Fresh from an endorsement honeymoon with former Vice President Al Gore, jetting from New York to Iowa to New Hampshire, the former Vermont governor skillfully handled that issue, denying Al Sharpton's charge of Gore "bossism"; embracing Gore's views on the environment, lost jobs, tax cuts, the Iraq war, and Clinton-Gore economic progress; and challenging critics to level their fire at him, not Gore.
Dean also showed glimpses of potential vulnerability. Asked about his repetition of a rumor that President Bush might have been warned by the Saudis ahead of the Sept. 11 attacks, Dean said he didn't believe it himself but thought Bush's administration should be more forthcoming to the commission probing the attack. It is a legitimate point, but a person in Dean's position should air such incendiary rumors only if he thinks they are credible.
Later, Dean took charge of the debate, telling ABC's Ted Koppel that the long discussion about Iraq from all nine Democratic candidates was important but that the election would turn on jobs, health care, and education: "taking this country back for ordinary Americans."
In truth, there would have been time for a greater exploration of domestic policy if Koppel hadn't wasted half an hour asking about endorsements, polls, and horse-race issues. This early in a campaign, candidates and voters both deserve a question less insulting than, "When are you going to pull out?"
As it was, nearly all the candidates had strong moments.
John Kerry was most impressive in describing how to make the United States a world leader through inclusion rather than unilateralism. Wesley Clark described concerns about nuclear proliferation with clarity and power. Dick Gephardt stressed health care and the need to deal with the root causes of global terrorism. John Edwards bashed the special interests with singular focus. Joe Lieberman stuck with his support for the Iraq war and his desire to let the middle class keep its portion of the Bush tax cuts. Dennis Kucinich spoke strongly for a single-payer health plan and other reforms. Carol Moseley Braun promised to "get our civil liberties back." And Al Sharpton put down a money question effectively, saying that if fund-raising was everything, Bush would be a sure winner.
In fact, the group's biggest error occurred at the start. Asked whether they thought Dean could beat Bush, none of the candidates raised a hand save Dean. The right answer for these Democrats would have been for all to have raised their hands: After the primaries, they will all endorse the nominee as a far better choice than Bush.
