I was a wavering supporter of Dean for many months; I gave $50 to the campaign, and I even journeyed to Iowa to canvas for the caucuses.
Iowa proved to be my Waterloo.
But many Dean supporters continue to hold out hope for their candidate, which I understand.
Yet I've been alarmed by the vituperative outpourings of Dean supporters in the wake of the Iowa and New Hampshire results.
What I hope to hear in response to this post is that Dean supporters will at the very least vote for the Democratic nominee, whoever that ends up becoming. If it's Dean, I will support him with all my heart, even though I no longer think he's the best candidate.
Dean may still become the nominee--anything is possible between now and the Democratic convention--but two things are certain.
The first is that we cannot change the past.
The second is that we cannot afford another 4 years of the Bush administration. We cannot afford 4 more years of millions without healthcare, struggling families, unlimited carbon dioxide in our air, thousands of promising students without the Pell grants they need to go to college, and further loss of American credibility and friendships around the world.
If you don't enthusiastically support the Democratic nominee, you make these tragic circumstances more likely.
Never forget this.
So I call upon you all to remember the brilliant debate moment when Dean asked the other candidates to pledge their support for the eventual nominee, and do what the doctor ordered.
Anybody But Bush.