With the departure of Joe Trippi, and his replacement by former Gore/Clinton advisor Roy Neel, it can be reasonably argued that we're in a major new "release" for Dean -- Dean v2.0, to use the appropriate tech metaphor for an internet-fueled campaign.
But what was the timeline, and what were the stages, of Dean 1.0?
Though I began thinking about (and soon thereafter tentatively supporting) Dean more than a year ago, my grasp of Dean's evolution as a candidate is not authoritative, so I'd invite others to refine the following:
Dean 1.0: Some obscure former New England governor who wants to be President of the United States.
Dean 1.1: Guy who intrigues some disaffected Democrats by positioning himself as neither a doctrinaire liberal (fiscally conservative, in favor of states rights on guns) nor a DLC centrist.
Dean 1.2: Dynamic, principled grassroots campaigner who grabs attention and funding by speaking out against the war in Iraq and using the MeetUps and blogs creatively.
Dean 1.2.1: Underdog media darling (mostly because he leads in fundraising)
Dean 1.3: The frontrunner.
Dean 1.3.1: The frontrunner with major endorsements from establishment Democratic figures.
Dean 1.3.2: The frontrunner who is getting pummeled by both the press and his eight opponents.
Dean 1.3.3: The frontrunner who is tanking in the polls and whose wife is a mystery.
Dean 1.4: Shouting guy who squandered a big lead in Iowa.
Dean 1.4.1: Repentent, self-deprecating shouting guy with a down-to-earth wife.
Dean 1.4.2: Toned-down, no-longer-shouting guy who squandered a big lead in New Hampshire but recuperated a bit.
Dean 2.0: The once and future underdog who was treated unfairly by the media, with new establishment campaign manager who'll give resuscitating the campaign the old college try.
So, is this a fair timeline? Did I miss any steps? What dates should be assigned to each stage? And are we really onto Dean 3.0, not 2.0?