After a series of disappointing losses in the Democratic primaries, presidential candidate Howard Dean has finally bowed out. I wish I could say that his leave was graceful–it was anything but.
It’s been a rough road for Dean. After first receiving the endorsement of Al Gore, which some speculated locked Dean in for the nomination–myself included–Dean was on top of the Democratic Party. But only for a minute. He fizzled in Iowa, and we all know the yell that came out of that.
And he hasn’t been the same since.
He lost New Hampshire by 12 points, and his time as a Democratic presidential candidate has since won him no primaries. Even Clark, who actually won a primary in Oklahoma, called it quits after seeing the writing on the wall.
Waffling on the issues, Dean even waffled on his leave. After saying Wisconsin would make or break his candidacy, he went back on his word and rescinded his promise. Maybe advance information about a certain Kerry affair had something to do with the change.
But now his campaign is over, and he did end up leaving after Wisconsin. Dean made it clear, however, that the fight is not.
“[O]ur campaign for change is not over,” Dean said in a statement on his Web site.
And we should believe him. Dean has shifted the debate of the Democratic Party to the left, and with non-stop TV, radio and Internet coverage of this presidential race, it’ll be hard for the candidates to swing back to the middle with Dean gone.
But the question still remains: Who will Dr. Dean endorse? I’d put my money on Edwards, especially since the two have been planning meetings of late.