Howard Dean Starts Syndicated Column (YAAARGH!!)

Editor and Publisher.com via Drudge ^ | 6/1/2004 | Dave Astor

[GAGOPSWEEPTOVICTORY]

NEW YORK Howard Dean is writing a weekly column that's being syndicated by Cagle Cartoons (CC).

The first piece by the former Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont governor appeared yesterday. In it, Dean called for electronic voting to be shelved until 2006 or until it's "reliable and will allow recounts."

Syndicate founder Daryl Cagle told E&P he contacted Dean through a mutual friend. One reason why Dean agreed to write the column was his interest in CC's reach -- more than 600 newspapers subscribe to the service in English. All clients get all of CC's features, and then decide which ones to publish.

Cagle said he doesn't yet know how many of the 600-plus papers will run Dean, who founded the Democracy for America political action committee after leaving the presidential race. But Cagle did note that a number of CC clients had asked for a liberal columnist to go along with the syndicate's two more conservative writers -- talk-radio host and presidential son Michael Reagan and former Clinton-administration advisor and Fox News analyst Dick Morris.

CC (http://www.caglecartoons.com) also syndicates various cartoonists. Cagle said he has been trying to add more columnists to the roster in order to provide a broader-ranged service to editorial page editors.

Cagle also runs the huge Professional Cartoonists Index site (http://cagle.slate.msn.com).