[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster]
I want to take a minute to write about the controversy about Howard Dean's latest statement because this is important.
Given Joe Biden's and John Edwards' criticisms of Dean's recent statements, a diary at Daily Kos by Renee in Ohio says "Dems: Stop eating your own!". Renee's exhortation is that Dean's comments should be viewed in context and that "it would really help matters if people in his own party weren't gunning for him so much of the time".
Look, I've been one of the spokesmen for Dems not bashing Dems (falsely) in public and that I've always been a strong fan of Dean (and was especially thrilled that he ran and got elected DNC Chair). But, we need to be careful about taking this "no criticism in public" mantra to an extreme. Could Biden or Edwards have been more careful and pointed out the context of Dean's remarks? Perhaps. But Dean's remarks sounded so strong that that was perhaps not the best approach. Let me explain. (And before someone furiously responds in the comments about why I am wrong, please take a minute to read my entire post first).
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