June 10, 2009 10:27 AM
- Text
Dem Leader Reaches Out, At Home And Abroad
(The Politico)
By The Politico's Roger Simon.
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has been meeting with world leaders to repair "the extraordinary damage" that the Bush administration has done to America's image and to prepare the way for a new Democratic president.
"I am trying to build relationships with other governments in preparation for a Democratic takeover," Dean told me. "I want to make clear that there is an opposition in America and that we are ready to take power and that when we do, we are going to have much better relationships with them."
In an hour-long interview at Democratic National Committee headquarters Tuesday, Dean also revealed that he has been quietly meeting with well-known Christian evangelical leaders in order to build new bridges between them and the Democratic Party.
"We're never going to convince them on civil rights for gay people or abortion rights," Dean said. "But we certainly can focus on the things that we both care about a lot: global warming, poverty and the materiality of our culture."
And, oh yeah, Dean could run for president again.
"I have no idea," Dean replied when I asked him if he would. "I hope we are going to elect a Democratic president, and I won't have to think about it until 2016. In which case, I will be a lot older than I am now."
Dean would be 68 in 2016, which is younger than John McCain is now.
I asked Dean if he missed running.
"Oh, of course. Are you kidding? Who wouldn't miss it?" he said seriously. "I don't miss the 18-hour days, seven days in a row. But the adrenaline rushes and the tactics and all that kind of stuff, I miss that. But I like what I am doing, and I never wish I were running in this cycle."
Though Dean's presidential candidacy flamed out early in 2004, he made at least three significant contributions to the Democrats: He legitimized opposition to the Iraq war within the party leadership, he ushered in a new era of aggressive in-your-face campaigning, and he recast the party as willing to fight for Democratic ideals rather than compromising with Republicans.
And he hasn't changed his style.
When I asked him if Republicans would always be seen as tougher than Democrats when it came to national defense, he said: "It is possible to be tough without filling Walter Reed with 12,000 wounded kids and then not taking care of them."
Dean went on: "Now that we have a real problem with Iran, there's not much we can do about it because of the president's incredible foolishness in running our armed forces through the gauntlet in Iraq, which wasn't necessary."
He also said that having "the moral high ground" is part of defending the country.
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has been meeting with world leaders to repair "the extraordinary damage" that the Bush administration has done to America's image and to prepare the way for a new Democratic president.
"I am trying to build relationships with other governments in preparation for a Democratic takeover," Dean told me. "I want to make clear that there is an opposition in America and that we are ready to take power and that when we do, we are going to have much better relationships with them."
In an hour-long interview at Democratic National Committee headquarters Tuesday, Dean also revealed that he has been quietly meeting with well-known Christian evangelical leaders in order to build new bridges between them and the Democratic Party.
"We're never going to convince them on civil rights for gay people or abortion rights," Dean said. "But we certainly can focus on the things that we both care about a lot: global warming, poverty and the materiality of our culture."
And, oh yeah, Dean could run for president again.
"I have no idea," Dean replied when I asked him if he would. "I hope we are going to elect a Democratic president, and I won't have to think about it until 2016. In which case, I will be a lot older than I am now."
Dean would be 68 in 2016, which is younger than John McCain is now.
I asked Dean if he missed running.
"Oh, of course. Are you kidding? Who wouldn't miss it?" he said seriously. "I don't miss the 18-hour days, seven days in a row. But the adrenaline rushes and the tactics and all that kind of stuff, I miss that. But I like what I am doing, and I never wish I were running in this cycle."
Though Dean's presidential candidacy flamed out early in 2004, he made at least three significant contributions to the Democrats: He legitimized opposition to the Iraq war within the party leadership, he ushered in a new era of aggressive in-your-face campaigning, and he recast the party as willing to fight for Democratic ideals rather than compromising with Republicans.
And he hasn't changed his style.
When I asked him if Republicans would always be seen as tougher than Democrats when it came to national defense, he said: "It is possible to be tough without filling Walter Reed with 12,000 wounded kids and then not taking care of them."
Dean went on: "Now that we have a real problem with Iran, there's not much we can do about it because of the president's incredible foolishness in running our armed forces through the gauntlet in Iraq, which wasn't necessary."
He also said that having "the moral high ground" is part of defending the country.
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