HOWARD DEAN AND NATIONAL SECURITY….I have to admit that I liked this statement from Howard Dean a few days ago about the Bush tax cut. Nice and fiery, straightforward about what he believes, sincere, and right on the merits.
On the other hand, as much as I like Dean’s message and his charisma, I keep reminding myself that his opposition to the war and his lack of credibility on national security make him unelectable. Maybe that’s not fair, but I’d like a Democrat to win the presidency in 2004, and I’m very skeptical that Dean can beat Bush.
So what can Dean do to shore up his national security credentials? The Minute Man has a suggestion:
Dr. Dean should go to Iraq and work for a week in various health clinics. That would be a photo-op that would blow away “Bush in a flight suit”. Then, with his newly enhanced credibility as an expert on Iraq, Dr. Dean can denounce the progress and planning of the Bush Administration.
If, a year from now, Iraq is looking good, Dean can claim some credit for turning up the heat and forcing the Administration to address it. If Iraq is a mess, Dean can make an issue of “who lost Iraq”. Either way, he gains great publicity and foreign policy stature.
Now, I don’t know if this is a practical suggestion or not, but it actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. A couple of weeks in Iraq might do wonders for him. Worth thinking about.
UPDATE: By the way, the Dean website has an interesting graph showing the growing number of people who are attending Dean Meetups. It’s the power of the blogosphere at work!
