This is the first time I actually do a real bloggy post where I link to an article and talk about it. The article in question is this gem of an
editorial from the not-so-liberal media out here in Oregon. This backs up an
article from the infamous Newsmax.com.
The fact that the GOPpers are not only feeling some fear of Dean at this point, but admitting in writing is astonishing to me. I didn't even admit that George W. Bush was a formidable opponent until after the (s)election. The fact that Dean has gone from [do your best Nelson impression:] "Ha ha" to "uh oh" before even winning a primary election is...is...well, it's just not supposed to happen. The arc of this campaign seems to be following the classic Ghandian narrative of first they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win. Or as the leader of the first meetup I went to back in July put it, "right now people are saying, 'yeah, but can he beat John Kerry' soon they'll be saying, 'can John Kerry beat Howard Dean.' Then they'll say, 'sure, but can he beat George Bush' and sometime in the summer of 2004, they're gonna be saying, 'can George Bush beat Howard Dean?'"
I think even John Kerry himself will admit we're already deep into Act two of that plot. I would say we're in the beginning of Act three and there's lots of foreshadowing to what's coming up in Act four. The question is, who has more hubris? Dean and his supporters, or George W. Bush?