Howard Dean: Defends His Criticism

Humorous photo from Radioblogger and thanks to Hugh Hewitt

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean on Wednesday defended his recent harsh criticism of Republicans, including his observation that they are “pretty much a white, Christian party.”

While even prominent Democrats in recent days have distanced themselves from some of his comments, the outspoken Dean, appearing on NBC”s “Today” show, said criticism of him is meant by Republicans to divert attention from the country’s problems and make him the issue instead.

No diversion from the issues – it was your partisan speech, Mr. Chairman.

Asked about it on the “Fox & Friends” show, GOP Party Chairman Ken Mehlman joked that “a lot of folks who attended my Bar Mitzvah would be surprised” he heads a Christian party.

“We gotta get ourselves beyond this point where when we disagree about politics, we call the other guy names,” he said.

Ad hominem remarks for sure and inflammatory – and why? To feed the radical lefties? Prob!

Now…. comes the distancing from his remarks:

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Tuesday that Dean is doing a good job, but is not the party’s spokesman.

Last weekend, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards criticized Dean for his recent remarks, saying he doesn’t speak for them.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, talking with reporters Wednesday, said she did not agree with the statement Dean made about the Republican Party.

The role of the chair of the Democratic National Committee is one that is different than the role of the Democratic leader of the House or in the Senate,” the California congresswoman said, “and sometimes the exhuberance of that position results in statements that neither of us would make.”

“I don’t think that the statement the governor (Dean) made was a helpful statement,” she said. But Pelosi said she thought that Dean was “doing a good job.”

“Listen. Any one of us at any given time will make a statement that we may, in retrospect, say maybe that was a little over-enthusiastic,” she said. “And I can put that statement in that category for Governor Dean.”

Biden, asked about Dean Wednesday during an interview on the Don Imus radio show, also said the chairman is doing a good job.

“A lot of things he does say, I agree with,” Biden said. But he also said that Dean “has views that are slightly different than mine .. .But look, he’s a lightning rod. … It’s probably good that there’s a guy out there that’s a lightning rod … .”

Biden, however, added that he thinks “the rhetoric is counterproductive.”

So, Howard Dean lives for another day and another GAFF.

This must be making the Democrat FAT CAT Contributors very nervous.

Will he survive?

Flap handicaps survival until after Labor Day and then Hillary and James Carville take over.