Posted on 12/10/2003 11:11:07 AM PST by NYC Republican
In a move that has stunned and surprised long-time poltical observers, President George Bush today endorsed Dr. Howard Dean for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. The Bush endorsement quickly eclipsed the furor that has arisen over former Vice-president Al Gore’s endorsement of Dr. Dean on Tuesday. Many had been shocked that Mr. Gore would endorse a candidate who agrees with him on virtually none of the issues, a point that was clearly not lost on President Bush in announcing his own endorsement of Dr. Dean.
“Mr. Gore has demonstrated that you don’t necessarily have to agree with someone to want him to win the Democractic nomination,” President Bush tol reporters, “And, believe me, ‘though I don’t agree with a word the man says, there’s no one I want to see win that nomination more than Howard Dean.”
Although Democractic challenger Al Sharpton was quick to criticize President Bush for failing to endorse a male African-American candidate, most of the other Democratic contenders had no public comment on the Bush endorsement.
Sources close to Senator Joe Lieberman, however, report that their candidate was devastated by the President’s refusal to endorse him.
“Joe thinks that if the President is going to go around handing out endorsements of Democratic candidates, he ought to start with the Democrats who look most like Republicans, and you can’t get much more Republican than Joe.”
Privately, many in the Lieberman campain believe that he may have made a serious misstep when, in an effort to obtain the rumored Bush endorsement, he began making campaign appearances with conservative commentator Ann Coulter and the late Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Dr. Dean was reportedly pleased with the Bush endorsement, and has called on the other Democractic candidates to abandon their own campaigns and rally around him as the likely nominee and, indeed, as the only candidate to have obtained endorsements from both of the men who were elected President in 2000.
So far, the only person to heed Dr. Dean’s call is Green Party leader Ralph Nader. Mr. Nader announced today that the Green Party would not field a presidential nominee in 2004, because, according to Mr. Nader, “With Howard Dean as the Democratic nominee, this election really doesn’t need a spoiler.”
someone please tell me this really didnt happen
Mr. Nader announced today that the Green Party would not field a presidential nominee in 2004, because, according to Mr. Nader, “With Howard Dean as the Democratic nominee, this election really doesn’t need a spoiler.”
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