Dean's new demeanor won him a
45 second standing ovation.
"I promise you that if you make me the president of the United States, I will restore the honor and the dignity and the respect this country deserves," Dean said. The audience responded with a 45-second standing ovation that broke up the otherwise seated, polite response to Dean's new style.
These are the same arguments that Dean has been making for months. But he made his case in the measured tones of a debate champion instead of his customary fist-pumping shout.
This guy is not the weak-kneed simpleton some here have made him out to be. He is a determined, gritty fighter. In only a day, he has changed the tone of his campaign 180 degrees, in response to criticisms on his blog.
In football terms, the winner of this game will be the one who makes the necessary adjustments at halftime. We aren't even to halftime yet, and Dean is adjusting marvelously. This adversity is just what he needs in order to get him into fighting shape for the battle of the century, against Bush and the Republican Machine.