Part of what Dean should be doing is formulating an effective strategy to protect Dems from the national, organized GOP-backed smear campaigns.
I wish Howard Dean would announce something like this as a play on the Bush doctrine:
The Dean Doctrine
Any political party that does not immediately condemn and demand/CAUSE the cessatioin of a (so-called) third party-led smear campaign which benefits that party is as guilty as such third-party. At any level - local to national.
In other words - start holding the GOP responsible, directly, clearly and plainly, for the Swifties, USANext, etc. Just say it lound and clear - GOP, this smear is ultimately your work, done at your backroom behest and we know it, and we will act acccordingly. We know your operatives, where the money ultimately comes from and goes, and we WILL hold the GOP directly responsible as if the GOP had run the smear campaign in its own name.