Al Gore has declared he is backing Howard Dean for the presidential nomination for the Dems. This occurred yesterday, December 10, but rumors were flying on Monday, the 9th. Lieberman was shocked and appalled and cried a fit of betrayal to the national media. Scenes such as this reveal too much about a person, in my opinion. Gore made the right move in supporting Dean. Why? Lieberman has been cuddling up to Bush and his policies far too many times. Many folks, including me, have turned against him because it is hard to distinguish if he's a transformed neocon, hawk, or just this term's biggest brown-noser. "Sorry Lieb, but you confused us."
I still feel that Clark has the best experience to run against and defeat Bush. But I cannot deny the strength and ever-increasing numbers of the Dean movement. They have been on the ball since day 1 and they have not lost steam. The organization of Dean’s campaign is impressive. And Dean, the new punching bag for the GOP ("he’s so angry"), is an interesting person whose speeches are enveloping, engrossing, and right on the money.
Consider this portion of his speech in Houston on November 19:
Over and over, I [have] heard the same questions:
If our country is so rich, why am I barely getting by? If our country is so strong, why are we being made to feel so afraid? If our country is so powerful, why do I feel so powerless?
These questions are larger than any one issue or program or policy prescription.
What I have seen and heard across America is that people feel disconnected from their government and our business leaders -- and from one another. They are afraid America is becoming more and more hated across the world. And they worry that they may always be struggling just to make ends meet.
This is where our country is. And this is what has shaped our campaign into what it is today.
We stand here today for all those who feel that Washington has forgotten them.
We stand here today for all those who believe that when our government serves only the big corporations, it betrays everything our country represents.
We stand here today for all those who believe America should not only be feared by the world, but admired.
We stand here today ready to challenge the old political order which has shut the people out of the process. We stand here ready to declare with our voices and our votes: "America is better than this."
I’m nearly convinced that I will be throwing my support Dean’s way.
I am perplexed at the lack of media attention for Clark. Either Dean is more news worthy or Dean’s people have a better way of making news. The only thing that Clark has received attention for was the government blocking Clark’s upcoming testimony at the trial of Milosevic. Maybe, the media is withholding Clark news because of the potential he has against Bush. (Many commentators believe that Clark is the strongest candidate in light of his war and foreign relations experience. I am in this camp, too, but possibly, not for long.)
