WSJ on Dean (sigh)

If WSJ notices Dean, then he must really be making an impact. Yah, I'll vote for Kerry but Dean's still my candidate.

Howard Dean has jumped back into this year's elections, urging support for his old nemesis, John Kerry, and promoting himself as a spokesman for the progressive wing in the Democratic Party.

The feisty former Vermont governor, determined not to be a fringe player, is boning up on the political right for guidance on how to better organize the left -- not just for November's elections but beyond. He is studying the tactics used by Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, and Ralph Reed, who helped make the Christian Coalition a political power. A decade after Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Reed, now a private consultant and adviser to President George W. Bush's campaign, helped usher in an era of Republican power, Mr. Dean hopes to begin to shift the balance back toward his progressive agenda.

More interesting is who he is making nervous: the DLC. They still don't like him, and I think they never will. I don't blame them. Dean represents what the DLC isn't: he's grassroots, progressive socially, and definitely not beholden to corporate interests. Even worse, Dean was against NCLB, and let's not forget NCLB is still the DLC's baby.