Publius' Forum

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Democratic National Committee Chairman thinks that politics is too mean-spirited today. No, let me clarify, he thinks Republican politics is too mean-spirited today. And he’ll call you any manner of nasty names if you don’t agree.

Childish?

Of course, but it merely reveals his hypocrisy.

Now, usually we Op Ed writers go on and on filling a page with our own words letting one and all know just how much we have to say on an issue. But, for this one time I am going to allow someone else to speak in my Op Ed.

I want Howard Dean to show us how he plans to put an end to “Divisiveness”, and take mean-spiritedness out of politics for us. I am going to show you his new, nicey-nice rhetoric that will lead us all to that nirvana like land of milk and honey.

And I am going to do it with a report of just one of Dean’s public appearances where he recently regaled a group of Florida business leaders in West Palm Beach about his kinder, gentler politics, that politics free of “divisiveness” and meanness. (an AP report from July 23rd)

So, the rest of this Op Ed will be Just a report of Howlin’ Howie’s own, kinder words.

-Dean called President Bush "the most divisive president probably in our history."

-"He's always talking about those people. It's always somebody else's fault. It's the gays' fault. It's the immigrants' fault. It's the liberals' fault. It's the Democrats' fault. It's Hollywood people," Dean said. "Americans are sick of that. Even if you win elections doing that, you drag down our country."


-The Republican agenda "is flag-burning and same-sex marriage and God knows what else."

-Dean also lashed out at President Bush's Iraq policy and at allowing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to address Congress on Wednesday, calling the foreign leader an "anti-Semite."

-"We don't need to spend 200 and 300 and 500 billion dollars bringing democracy to Iraq to turn it over to people who believe that Israel doesn't have a right to defend itself and who refuse to condemn Hezbollah," he said.

-"He (Bush) is bankrupting the middle-class," Dean said.

Yes, all that from just one appearance.

So, being against same-sex marriage, supporting burning the flag, saying his opponents are destroying the country, calling the Prime Minister of a foreign nation a Jew hater, and attempting to instill fear in the middle-class is a kinder and gentler politics?

Sounds like the same ol’ vitriol to me!

That Howie … such a nice fella.