Howard Dean is a prominent Democrat. As such, he is a public figure who makes a lot of comments. He says what's on his mind. Wouldn't it be a bigger story if Dean was silent?
I wouldn't claim that I am always 100% in lockstep with what Dean says. But in my case, that's true for any Democrat. Nothing Dean has said is going to cause me to lose any sleep at the end of the day.
And on the subject of Iraq, Dean's comments may not be completely "politically astute" but they have been correct on merit, as John Judis at The New Republic correctly pointed out at www.tnr.com.
But more importantly, I am far more interested in Dean's performance as DNC Chair than any of his comments. As DNC chair, Dean has the opportunity to shape the future of the organization of the Democratic Party and help the party achieve important victories, as well as develop a stable, long-term structure.
Statements have about a 24-48 hour shelf life in our sound bite culture.
But a strong organization can last us a lifetime.
I think Dean is on the right track so far as DNC chair. In particular, fund raising has been impressive, and the emergence of a 50-state strategy in lockstep with a better coordination at all levels (national, state, local) will pay dividends in the future.
And it is on this job that Dean will ultimately be judged, and where my focus on Dean lies. If our organization is weak, then Howard Dean's comments won't mean much either way in the long run.