He dropped significantly in a recent Iowa poll, and that was before
this:
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, trying to limit the fallout from negative comments he made four years ago, said Friday he "didn't really understand the Iowa caucuses" when he said they were dominated by extremist special interests.
Dean did not address his earlier comments, made in 2000 on a Canadian program while governor of neighboring Vermont, but said if elected president he would press for Iowa to be the first contest of the 2008 campaign.
"Four years ago, I didn't really understand the Iowa caucuses," Dean, who leads in polls but is facing a strong challenge by rival Dick Gephardt, told The Associated Press on Friday. "I wouldn't be where I am without the Iowa caucuses."
On the Canadian program, Dean said: "If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests, in both sides, in both parties. The special interests don't represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremes."
LOL, I wonder what non-centrist Iowans who've been enamoured with the Dean movement think of that?
Meanwhile, the Dean campaign Thursday was forced to fire two low-level volunteers who went into Kerry's campaign offices posing as average voters. Kerry's campaign reacted with outrage.
And then Gephardt mentioned something about Dean followers trying to exploit some loophole to become "Iowa residents" at the last minute...?
I just don't think this will all play too well. But we shall see!
Oh, and how much did Dean "not understand" until recently? NAFTA, Iowa caucuses, Social Security, middle class taxation...