[continuing Dean's comment from above the fold] Dean: He's a very bright guy, and he's written a very interesting piece which I think is the key to how you get out of Iraq without endangering our troops or maximizing the terrorists' ability to cause mayhem over there. And I know Jack [MURTHA] talked to him before he came out with his redeployment strategy.
We need to redeploy our troops, the Guardsmen need to come home, there need to be a group sent to Kuwait to be on hand for the terrorist attacks, and there needs to be a group sent to Afghanistan so we can do the job there which the government wants us to do, and then we'll leave a few troops in Iraq over 2006 in order to stabilize the situation there which the President's made a huge mess of.
So, I think that's a reasonable plan--I think Democrats ought to coalesce around. I think we can do that.
It's gradual.
The Republicans have practically signed onto it in the Senate. They know their Commander in Chief has got us into a big problem here. And you start to see them peeling away. You saw the Senate pass a resolution that 2006 should be the year of transition . Well, that was a step in the right direction for the Republicans to take, and I ...
Maron: So you think that what happened last week with the Republicans hijacking Jack Murtha's proposal and making their own to sort of call them on what they're seeing as some sort of bluff was the right move?
Dean: Oh, I think that the Democrats voting no on the Republican thing--that Republican proposal was just ridiculous. They did what they always do: they rewrote something, pretended it was honest, I mean, this is probably the most dishonest group of people we've had running America since Richard Nixon's administration. They actually reminde me a lot of Nixon's administration as well. You got Cheney in there talking about "pusillanimous pussyfooters" and you got the President out there saying "Victory is at hand". (Laughter) These guys, they wouldn't know the truth if it hit them in the face.
[MARK] Riley [Morning Sedition co-host]: Dr. Dean, can red state Democrats, who seem to be the ones that at times will peel away from the Democratic consensus on many of these issues, particularly the ones who are up for re-election next year whether in Congress or the Senate, can they be depended on to stay the course on this? To hold with the rest of the Democrats?
Dean: I think they can, but I think we've got to sit down and draw this consensus and get people to sign on to this Lawrence Korb position. I think it makes sense, it's gradual. The Republicans have practically signed onto it in the Senate. They know their Commander in Chief has got us into a big problem here. And you start to see them peeling away. You saw the Senate pass a resolution that 2006 should be the year of transition . Well, that was a step in the right direction for the Republicans to take, and I was just delighted.
Maron: In terms of the Democrats who are seeking re-election, in terms of the Democrats coming together as we were talking about, do you think it's right to do what former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards did and admit that he was wrong in voting for the war in Iraq?
Dean: I think that was pretty courageous and it got a lot of attention. He didn't come out and dance around, he said, "Look, I was wrong. " Period. That was the first sentence of his piece, and I thought that was pretty courageous.
Maron: And what about some of the other parts of the platform you're looking towards in terms of the Democratic momentum.
Dean: Our agenda is very clear. What we want is, one, honesty back in government, and I want to have tough legislation passed that both Democrats and Republicans will have to abide by. Two, I really do want health insurance for all Americans. ?6 other countries have it, I think we should have it. Three, we want a balanced budget, only Democrats balance the budget. You can't trust Republicans--they haven't done it in 40 years in America. Four, we want jobs in America that will stay in America, and I think renewable energy is the key to that. And I think that's a pretty succinct agenda for the American people.
Maron: Hey, it sounds good."
-via the post by Renee in Ohio on Howard-Empowered People. She will be updating this post to include more of Dean's comments "shortly."
