"So nowadays could we have Santa Claus with Howard Dean on a leash?"
I was trying to think of who would be the parallel to Jefferson Davis, and you're right -- Howard Dean is a very good candidate.
Of course he doesn't have one fraction of Jeff Davis' background or integrity.
And Jeff Davis might have been a "rebel" but he was no traitor -- like Dean is.
You're right, Jefferson Davis possessed a level of intellect and integrity that charlatans of the contemporary left like Dean cannot even imagine.