Volume II No. 26
 02-01-04
 The Screech Heard Around The World
 { How A Presidential Campaign 
   Can Change In Ninety Seconds }
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2004

 The date was January 19, 2004. 

 The results were just in. John F. Kerry was the surprise - if 
 boring as hell - winner of the Iowa caucuses. Howard { I am 
 already the nominee } Dean finished in a disappointing third
 place. Perhaps there was an immediate lesson in all of this. 

 Boring as hell can sometimes win.

 Underneath all of his impressive polling numbers prior to the
 actual voting in the Iowa caucuses. There was an unease among
 mainstream "inside the beltway" democrats about Howard Dean. 
 Who was this guy? And why was he acting as if it was all but 
 certain he was going to sweep through both Iowa and N.H. and 
 began a roll that would lead toward an inevitable democratic 
 party nomination?

 Didn't Governor Dean realize nothing is that easy? 

 Although he had the - ahem - endorsements of both former
 Senator Bill Bradley and and ex-Vice President Al { I don't 
 need you Bill Clinton } Gore. A funny thing happened along 
 the way to thwart Howard Dean's plans. -- Saddam Hussein 
 got himself captured. And thus half of the Iraq equation was 
 erased at that exact same moment. { the other half being the 
 ongoing deaths of American troops through guerilla warfare
 tactics } 

 Mr. Imperial President himself, good ole' G.W. could now 
 confidently explain to the American people that progress 
 was being made to bring Iraq back to civility. Our American 
 boys were one step closer to eventually coming home.

 So Dean was left trying to campaign in Iowa with only half 
 his original message. The fact that he was one of the most 
 virulent anti-war candidates in the Democratic field was no 
 longer quite so relevant. And his stinging criticisms of the
 Bush administration's handling of everything related to Iraq 
 just didn't resonate quite so well, as it might have, if not for 
 the "bearded-one's" capture.

 Yet, even with the unfortunate timing of Saddam's arrest, 
 Dean's tireless work in the weeks leading up to the voting,
 earned him a respectable third place finish. All he had 
 to do was maintain his calm -- and focus.

 Then came the screech that was heard around the world. 
 That ninety seconds of an overly exuberant, raspy-voiced 
 Dean - microphone clasped tightly in hand -- urging on his 
 campaign workers.

 It was surreal. 

 It was outrageous.

 It was unintentionally comical.

 It was the mother of all sound bites.

 A news director's dream.

 Yearrrrrggggghhhhhh! { raspy-voiced }

 The late Edmund Muskie, who once cried in front of the 
 television cameras as a Presidential candidate, suffered 
 humiliation and embarassment because of his mistake. Now 
 long after his passing, his name will no longer be the only 
 one in modern times tied to an unimaginably bad campaign 
 goof-up. Howard Dean has surpassed him by a wide margin. 
 In political science courses across America they will be 
 talking about the "I Have A Scream Speech" for years.

 Perhap's Dean's self-inflicted misfortune is a cautionary tale.
 Nothing in life is guaranteed. -- Not even the next two minutes.
 His campaign is in free fall. Dean leads in the polls in none
 of the forthcoming primary states. The governor is detached 
 from reality, if he thinks he can just keep going on, and on, 
 without actually winning a state.

 Second is not first. -- It's second.

 It is sometimes said that a rumor gets started somewhere 
 near to what is the truth. And that rumors are rarely based 
 upon complete falsehoods. The word on Dean was that he 
 could be difficult to deal with. Pundits whispered that he 
 was moody at times. A man with a sharp, aggressive mind, 
 that was more than matched by a fiery, impulsive temperment.

 How much of that reputation was earned? How much just 
 the result of wagging tongues?

 Who can say. Perhaps time will reveal more.

 What ever is the actual truth. Perception does matter. And 
 by losing his perspective. His sense of proportionality - if 
 for just those ninety unfortunate seconds. Govenor Dean's 
 high-powered campaign has been badly damaged. He has 
 all but given his political enemies the means to destroy him.

 Whether that was the real Howard Dean on display. Or a tired, 
 exhausted campaigner who erred in judgement because of 
 fatigue. The behavior the ex-governor exhibited on Martin 
 Luther King Day. Is not what anyone comfortably imagines 
 in a President.
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2004

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