Sentinel Editorial: Howard Dean in the N.H. primary (1/18/04)
During the long Democratic presidential primary campaign, several candidates have made significant contributions to the national conversation that’s essential to this self-governing society.
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Our main reservation about Clark is that he is a lifelong Republican voter, and at times activist, who seems to have come to some of his current positions rather late in life. He is now running against a president whose fund-raiser he addressed just over two years ago. Clark’s candidacy would be more compelling if it reflected more than a few months’ worth of convictions, however admirable.(snip)
Former governor Howard Dean has dominated the Democratic primary season. Although he is probably best-known for his stand against the Iraq war, his political agenda strikes us as the most traditional of all. He believes, responsibly, that the United States now has a commitment to put Iraq back on its feet, and he believes, optimistically but with reason, that, as an early opponent of the war, he could enlist the help of the rest of the democratic world in that effort.
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Today, this newspaper endorses Howard Dean’s candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. We come to this decision not without some difficulty, given the appeal of the Clark and Edwards candidacies. But we believe on balance that Dean is best-equipped to restore respect for this country abroad while protecting the interests of Americans at home. And we believe Dean, unlike the current occupant of the White House, understands that the two efforts must be linked. All nations reserve the right to act boldly in their own interests, but no nation — even our own exceptional nation — can thrive as a go-it-alone force on virtually every matter of international substance: energy, the environment, trade, war and peace. Dean has reasonable and we believe workable ideas for addressing Americans’ needs regarding health care, the federal deficit, homeland security, jobs, civil rights and the economy. And he would reverse the current administration’s shameless weakening of environmental laws. No one will accuse Howard Dean of being soft on anything — that’s hardly his style. But in the long run, tough policies are most effective when they are also smart policies. We observed Dean through a long career as governor of Vermont accomplishing a great deal by combining diligence with intelligence. Along the way, he usually won the respect not only of his allies, but of many of his adversaries as well. If he can bring that vitality and that sensitivity to the national stage, he and we might well get our country back.
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