Carol has decided almost from the beginning that she likes Howard Dean as the Democratic nominee for Presidency against the current President, G.W. Bush. There seem to be a great many people, including other aspiring Democratic nominees who are after the hide of Dr. Dean.  Much has been made over the other Doctor who is in Politics.  That is the current Majority leader, Dr. Bill Frist, who is known as the “Hammer”.  That is a tribute to his heavy hand as leader of Republican solons who might go astray as progressives or who are tinged with Liberal tendencies.

Dr. Howard Dean was assailed today by other Democrats on his position about race and minorities.  I have always considered himself to be a member of a minority. I have never been quite at ease in White Anglo Saxon Protestant America. I still am not over the congratulation of one of my classmates who told me confidentially that I was all right.  I was a “White Jew”.

Howard Dean is married to a doctor who happens to be Jewish.  They are raising their children as Jews. That is in accord with some Jews who insist on matrilineal Jewish-ness.  I just hope those Orthodox and other pious types will not expect these Dean children to have to go through conversion to be accepted into the Tribe. Dean is actually from a “White Bread” state with few minorities.

From what I understand, Howard Dean is a solidly achieving politician as well as being a member of that wonderful group of healers we call Dr.  He has been reticent to tell all about what he believes, for his record should show this and although he has the human failing of saying gauche and stupid things from time to time, he has one of the better records in the current crop of Bush replacement hopefuls. 

What I do not like is the requirement that he be that much better (although he is) than George Bush our current incumbent.  Anyone can be that much better even with the cadre of puppeteers who pull the Bush strings.  The man cannot speak unless it is in short bursts of simple-minded platitudes.  Howard Dean managed a State Government with a much better record than the sorry show that Bush put on as Governor of Texas and he lied.  Yes, he lied about what Texas was supposed to have achieved in educational reform and educational achievements.

According to Carol, there is no contest.  She has a point.