I say turn Howard Dean loose and let him holler and scream til the people hear the facts.   What, did he have to promise not to holler when he took the dnc job?   Are the dems gonna just sit and wait for the gop to continue to self-implode.   Let's see....   Social Security...   Schiavo...   DeLay...   Frist...   Pat Roberson...   Chan Chandler...   Am I missing something here or are they just hoping for complete distruction from within by the republicans.   We are dealing with people that have worked for decades to get where they are at and with the dems just crouching in the corner hoping for the best we may be letting our political capitol turn from megabucks to penney stocks.   Finally:

John Dean on the Filibuster: Hatch is a Big, Fat Liar

by mcjoan

Fri May 6th, 2005 at 15:10:19 PDT

(From the diaries -- Plutonium Page)

Well, sort of. He doesn't actually accuse the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou Senator from Utah of breaking the 9th Commandment in saying that the Democrats use of the filibuster to block judicial nominations is unprecedented, but he comes pretty darned close. Dean is of course referencing the 1968 nomination of Associate Justice Abe Fortas to become Chief Justice. Says Dean of Hatch, "he has either been grossly misinformed as to what occurred then, or is intentionally lying about it." How does Dean know this?

I should know: I was there when the history he is trying to rewrite was made. And not only does this very use of the filibuster have precedent, but that precedent was made by Republicans. I know this for a certainty based on information I received directly from the Senate Republican caucus at the time.

:: snip

Just to pound the nails into the Lying Hatch Coffin for good, Dean conducts a quick survey of the historical literature, every source confirming that the Fortas' nomination was defeated by a Republican filibuster. His coup de grace, in my opinion:

Senator Hatch should have checked the Senate's own official history. According to the Secretary of the Senate, who vouches for this website, entitled October 1, 1968: Filibuster Derails Supreme Court Appointment, it was very much a filibuster that defeated Fortas: "On October 1, 1968," the website notes, "the Senate failed to invoke cloture. [President] Johnson then withdrew the nomination, privately observing that if he had another term, 'The Fortas appointment would have been different.'"

Another set of articles on Dean reflects how many may feel about him of late.

Views on Dean at DemSpeak

Submitted by mike101 on Fri, 2005-05-06 11:45.

This treatment on Howard Dean is made up of 2 posts by others: Dennis J. Kucinich- takes Dean to the woodshed for selling out DTH's diary- citizen comes full around on Dean.

I think it's a thought provoking ride.

An Open Letter to Howard Dean by Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich

Dear Chairman Dean,
Speaking before an ACLU crowd last week in Minnesota, the home state of Paul Wellstone, you were quoted as saying, "Now that we're there [in Iraq], we're there and we can't get out.... I hope the President is incredibly successful with his policy now." Did these words really come from the same man who claimed to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, and who had recently campaigned on the antiwar theme? What's changed?

A diary provoked by the above letter:
Source 2:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/5/13464/11900

Dean: An Indie Band Who Made It Big by DTH
Thu May 5th, 2005 at 10:46:04 PDT

My impression is that some folks who really liked Dean during the primaries have become rather disillusioned with him after becoming DNC Chair. It reminds me of the old band line, "I liked Dean BEFORE he was cool." Or, even worse, "I liked Dean BEFORE he sold out." As someone who initially liked Dean a lot, then couldn't stand him, and now loves him again, my own personal perception is that Dean himself hasn't changed much. Rather, it was my own perception that had changed, each time.

The neocons are running damage control as fast as they can and we seem to be just standing, watching and waiting. Hoping for the best in 2004 didn't get us very far and I am not sure if this waitng game now is going to either.   Maybe the powers that be know what they are doing and I am just being to cynical and impatient.   I thought when he went through the DNC process and got the chairmanship that even a toned down Howard Dean is better than nothing.   I surely hope that some of the 'In Your Face' - 'Backed with Facts' - 'Love Him or Hate Him' - Howard Dean survives and becomes more of a factor.   - fc