Hinchey endorses presidential contender Dean [View All]

[dajabr]

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., endorsed Howard Dean Friday for the Democratic presidential nomination, saying the former Vermont governor "has a toughness" that can beat President Bush in the 2004 election.

Hinchey, an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's justifications for going to war in Iraq, said Dean "was one of the first people in or out of Washington to see through the mischaracterizations and misleading statements by the administration."

Hinchey, whose district stretches from the Hudson Valley to Binghamton, also said he thought retired general Wesley Clark "would be a great part of the ticket" as Dean's running mate.

More: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--dean-hinchey1031oct31,0,4187564.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire