In yet another instance of foot-in-mouth disease, Democratic front-runner Howard Dean’s gaffes continue to be his own biggest enemy. This time, he’s backtracking away from words uttered in 2000 that denigrates the very same system he’s now trying to win in: the caucus.
“If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests, in both sides, in both parties,” Dean said on a Canadian television show in 2000. “The special interests don’t represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremes.”
Hardly a centrist himself, Dean surely wishes he could take back that one. And he’s already started the damage control.
Dean quickly sought to stem the damage Thursday night, saying, “I support the Iowa caucus” and will continue to press for its first-in-the-nation status. He did not specifically address his comments on the Canadian television program.
Other recent remarks by Dean include the benefits of not passing judgment on Osama bin Laden and how his faith led him to a decision to sign a bill legalizing civil unions for homosexuals in Vermont.