Dean: I'm thinking about that E.J. Dionne piece I quoted yesterday. Was he right? It doesn't matter, really, does it? After all, we now know Howard Dean thinks E.J. was right. That's all that counts. He gave Diane Sawyer a network TV interview last night with guess who at his side. Among his big moments:

"I say things that I probably ought not to say," Dean told Sawyer while watching a tape of the rally, "but I lead with my heart, and that's what I was doing right there, leading with my heart."

Funny thing is, America would forgive him if his name ended with a vowel, if he were Cuomo, Giuliani, or some other hothead with Mediterranean blood in him. At any rate, he tried to look human in the interview, trotting out his wife, and playing a grown-up in the debate. If nothing else, this may be a good time for Dean to sell himself to the center. His loyal liberals sure didn't come through in Iowa, so he might as well attempt his pivot now, while the spotlight is still on him. A bad loss in New Hampshire could put him where Kerry was six weeks ago, begging for coverage and mortgaging his house.