The Dark Horse
Months ago, I remember hearing that exactly one person other than George Bush had officially declared himself as a candidate in the 2004 Presidential campaign. And that was Howard Dean, the outgoing governor of Vermont.

And I laughed. I mean, the same way I laughed when I heard Senator Bob Smith of New Hamphire was quitting the Republican party after ripping it on the Senate floor before running for President as an independent in 2000. You'll notice that Senator Bob Smith is now Bob Smith, the guy who got his ass handed to him in the campaign, came crawling back to the Republican party, only to get run out of office by John Sununu. In other words, Howard Dean was a joke and was only going to embarass himself.

But, then, that was before the entire population of Washington D.C. opened an exploratory committe to run for President in 2004. It's starting to sound a bit like Wil Smith on that old Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince track, "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson", with everybody and their cock-eyed grandmothers waking up in the morning saying "I can beat 'em!!!!"

And, as much as I like John Edwards (see below), I do worry that he may be a one-trick pony. So, I started looking at all the people who I thought were jokes in this race, just in case there was something I was overlooking.

Newsflash: after careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that Dick Gephardt is still, in fact, a joke.

Howard Dean, on the other hand, is a different story.

Or, perhaps I should say Doctor Howard Dean, the longest serving Democratic governor in the country (11 years), who is pro-choice, wants to unto the entire Bush tax cut, runs the 1st state to legalize same-sex marriages, but still has an A-rating from the NRA and thinks the world is a mess right now because our foreign policy and trade policy do not support each other from a common vision.

Did I mention that 4 of our last 5 Presidents (G.W. Bush, Slick Willie, Reagan, & Jimmy Carter), covering 26 years of electoral seasons, were governors, and the last sitting senator to win the White House was JFK?

Howard Dean is NOT a joke. Read. Because the brother needs your money.
Bad.