The Temptation Of Howard Dean

The Democrats staged the first of six presidential primary debates in Albuquerque, N.M., last week, and it wasn't exactly gladiatorial. No blood was spilled, no memorable lines unsheathed. The candidates were not eloquent, funny, clever or incisive. No one was embarrassed--except, perhaps, those who attempted to speak Spanish (the event was sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus). But the debate may prove to be a turning point, nonetheless. It illuminated a critical decision

the Democrats now face--between principled opposition to the Bush Administration and populist demagoguery on the two main issues of this election, the war and the economy. This is a particularly crucial choice for Howard Dean, who wants to build his candidacy past Internet insurgency toward a broader audience. Indeed, Dean's subdued and awkward performance, and his slipperiness on both issues, seemed a rare moment of indecision in what has been a steamroller campaign.

The Democrats were more united than they had ever been on the war. They agreed that President Bush has been, as Dick Gephardt said, a "miserable failure" in the postwar period. All the major candidates favored a deal with the U.N. to bring more foreign troops into the peacekeeping operations; none counseled retreat. But a minor candidate, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, threw down a wildly provocative challenge: "We should bring the troops home now." This, I fear, is a position with a future. Many polls are showing significant public ambivalence about America's commitment to rebuild Iraq--and a clear-cut desire to spend less, not more, money on the occupation. Such sentiments will increase, no doubt, as the occupation slogs on, the casualties and bills mount. The U.S. military dreads another Baghdad summer. By next spring the door will be wide open for a let's-get-out-of-this-mess challenge to the President. Happily, none of the major Democrats chose to walk through that utterly irresponsible door last week, but Dean--who is on the record as favoring more American troops and more money--opened it a crack. "If we need more troops, they are going to be foreign troops," the former Governor said, changing his position and glancing warily over at Kucinich, who hopes to dent Dean's support in the peaceable kingdom of Iowa. "Ours need to come home."