Howard's End

This afternoon, after failing to win a single Democratic presidential primary, the once seemingly invincible Howard Dean withdrew from the primary battles. Wisconsin Marks End of Line for Dean [cnn.com]. Some pundits place the beginning of the end of Dean's candidacy as his "I Have A Scream" speech following Iowa. I think differently.

Dean's meteoric rise was followed by a line of endorsements from establishment politicos, starting with former VP Al Gore. This establishment focus drew attention to the fact that Dean is no centrist. He could never run as successfuly as an "incumbent" as he had as an "insurgent." As I blogged here months ago, the only thing that Gore brought to the table was his baggage. The Gore endorsement was the high water mark of Howard Dean's presidential campaign. From that point on, it was all downhill for Dean. Al Gore, it seems, is still a kiss of death in American politics.

 Posted by glenn