Demo foes take aim at Dean's 'feet of clay'

WASHINGTON -- The holidays did nothing to warm relations between Howard Dean and his Democratic foes.

Aides to Dick Gephardt, for example, leaked a "note" from President Bush to Santa Claus, seeking a very special Christmas gift: "Could you please make sure Howard Dean is the Democratic nominee? He says all kinds of inconsistent things about Iraq and he loves to attack other Democrats, particularly anyone close to Bill Clinton."

That's probably the mildest attack Dean will receive this election year. While Dean seeks to pad his lead in polls and fund raising, his five major opponents are running a separate race: to become the "anti- Dean" in what is expected to narrow to a two-man contest after early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. And they're latching on to everything Dean says to make their case.

"They still think he may have feet of clay," said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

Dean's supporters said the once-unknown governor of Vermont vaulted to the head of the pack because he opposed the Iraq war and challenged the Bush administration when his newfound critics were afraid to.

"Right now those guys think we're the frontrunner, so they're saying all this stuff (like) 'He can't win,"' Dean said recently. In response, Dean asked his rivals, "How are they going to win?"

Each of the prospective anti-Deans -- Gephardt, Wesley Clark, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and John Edwards -- offer different reasons that they would be a better nominee. But their critiques largely boil down to taxes, terrorism, and temperament.

They also charge that a string of questionable comments, including a recent one about Osama bin Laden, show that Dean is too impulsive and inexperienced to win over nonpartisan voters.

Lieberman, a long-standing critic of Dean, mocked Dean's comment he would not "pre-judge" bin Laden's guilt in case the terrorist leader is captured and tried. And, pointing to Dean complaints about political attacks, he suggested that if his rival can't handle this round, he doesn't stand a chance against President Bush.

"I've got news for Howard Dean," said Lieberman, a Connecticut senator. "The primaries are a warm-up compared to what George Bush and (political adviser) Karl Rove have waiting for the Democratic nominee." While rivals have warned that Dean's strident opposition to the Iraq war could lead to a Bush blowout, several believe that he may be more vulnerable on taxes.

The frontrunner has called for repealing all of the tax cuts that President Bush has signed into law. Democratic opponents, and more than a few Republicans, note that would mean reducing the child tax credit and restoring the marriage penalty, both of which would raise taxes on middle-class families.

Gephardt, who would also repeal all of the Bush tax cuts, instead broadens the attack on Dean, accusing him of numerous inconsistencies on domestic issues.

Gephardt, the Missouri congressman who is battling Dean for the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19, has set up a Web site, www.deanfacts.com, to highlight what Gephardt's campaign calls flip-flops on such items as Social Security, Medicare, trade and affirmative action. The Gephardt campaign headlined one recent e-mail, "Gephardt Responds to Dean's Latest Outlandish Assertion" -- the ex-governor's claim that he understands farmers' issues better than other candidates because "nobody else comes from a farm state."

Gephardt, whose home state has at least 100,000 more farms that Vermont, said, "our party cannot afford a nominee who makes reckless, inaccurate statements."

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, seeking to rally before the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 27, tackles both the temperament and Iraq questions.

He cited Dean's comments the United States should not go to war without concurrent support from the United Nations.

"A candidate who treats America's national security this way won't be elected president of the United States and frankly doesn't deserve to be elected," Kerry said.

Kerry also touts his Vietnam experience to position himself as the ideal anti-Dean -- experienced on foreign policy but with the experience and knowledge to commit troops carefully.

Gen. Wesley Clark, another war opponent, has focused his attacks not on Iraq but on the frontrunner's implied criticism of the Clinton administration.

In a recent speech, Dean said: "While Bill Clinton said that the era of big government is over, I believe we must enter a new era for the Democratic Party -- not one where we join Republicans and simply aim to limit the damage they inflict on working families."

Dean denied that he was taking on the former president's record, but Gen. Clark responded: "I don't know about Howard Dean, but when I'm president, I'm not going to throw out the proven policies that brought America the longest economic expansion in history."

The rage that has propelled Dean to the lead spot is also a major theme for his rivals, such as Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

"We all know what we're running against," Edwards said. "Now we need to tell the American people what kind of future we're running toward."

Some Democrats hoping to see Dean stumble said the gaffes and attacks are starting to take a toll.

"For the first time in this race, Dean is actually on the defensive in a way that may make a difference," said Al From, founder of the Democratic Leadership Council.

Other analysts said that taking down Dean won't be easy, given the depth and intensity of his support. Some said that if Dean is denied the nomination now, it might alienate the new political activists he has attracted to his campaign via the Internet.

Pollster John Zogby said Democratic rivals would be wise to tone down attacks on Dean's vices and play up their own virtues.

"They're going to have to project themselves as the one who can beat George W," Zogby said. "That's the only oxygen they have -- the 'electability' issue."

Dean and aides said negative attacks only turn off voters their rivals are trying to attract. Aides said Dean would continue pursuing his campaign plan, happy to engage Democratic opponents over issues.

"We're not going to underestimate them," said Dean spokesman Jay Carson. "They underestimated us and look what happened."

Copyright C 2004 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.