A number of discussion threads have centered around Dean's so-called "teflon"- the ability to laugh off any attack and emerge stronger from it (teflon was coined by pundits describing the supposedly untouchable Reagan campaign).
Now, I'm not a big believer in whether or not Dean actually has teflon, because the true test will be when the full brunt of the Rove machine falls upon the good Doctor (assuming he wins, naturally).
But with each attack on his candidacy (being anti-war during the Iraq debate and unapolagetic, being McGovern-esque, being Gingrich-esque, Confederate flag flap, records unveiling) Dean has continually recovered faster and with greater strength than before. Just as a recent example, the CFlag Flap lasted about a week and a half to two weeks, yet the records releasing lasted about three days.
Is this evidence that:
- while Dean's teflon may not be fully-formed enough to deflect Bushove's attacks, it's growing as a protective barrier with each successive attack?
- Dean's teflon has been there the entire time, and with each assault it only becomes more obvious that it's been there all along?
or
3) Dean doesn't really have any teflon: he's just the luckiest man in the race.