If not Kerry...: I had an entire one-half hour to myself on Sunday morning and spent it watching the talking heads on the morning shows (Condi Rice hit the trifecta in about 2 hours). I spent considerable time watching Russert speak with Howard Dean about his hopes and dreams for the upcoming election. Caveat: I know nothing about Dean other than a few remarks heard here and there, so other than the fact that he's from Vermont, I don't have any pre-conceived notions. I tuned in mid-stream with him talking about Iraq. Okay, no surprise he's not rallying to Bush's cause with the war. He is essentially France, saying triple the inspectors, continue to apply pressure, go multi-lateral...oh, and he's of course support the troops. So, standard Democrat response. He then moves into Social Security and judicial nominations. Again, he's more or less toeing the party line and being typically two-faced about the nomination process. Then he gets to homosexual rights (or same sex life partnerships). If he weren't from Vermont he would have surprised me in his stance (which I fully agree with), as he's totally on board with recognizing civil unions, etc. He also defends homosexuality as a genetic issue, not a "lifestyle choice." What did impress me, was his demeanor. No lambasting, no theatrics, no fist-pounding. He took what Russert had to give and provided at least coherent argument. Perhaps it's sad that such a presentation can make an impression on me, but when you compare him to Gephardt (who long ago forgot he was human ) or, god forbid, Sharpton, he's already pulling ahead.