Andrew Sullivan on Dean

[Shrek]

Yes, yes, I know Sullivan is not beloved here and many of his views are suspect. But this TIME article is notably lacking in partisanship and has some useful insights.

<snip>

Dean offers, to purloin a phrase, a choice, not an echo. His pugnacity in defense of his liberal instincts is obviously genuine. After eight years of careful Clintonian positioning, it's refreshing. Compared with Kerry's packaged, tested, hollow rants against "special interests," Dean's straight talk is invigorating. He isn't haunted, as Kerry is, by the specter of Vietnam. Even the famous Iowa scream had more authenticity and fire than Kerry's labored recitation "Bring it on." Unlike Kerry, Dean has held a serious executive office — balancing budgets, reforming health care, innovating on civil rights. Kerry's undistinguished, flip-floppy Senate record is far less impressive.

Is Dean too extreme? On the critical matter of national security, Dean has a more defensible record than Kerry. He backed the first Gulf War, which Kerry couldn't bring himself to do, and the Afghanistan war. His opposition to the Iraq campaign is less a function of knee-jerk isolationism or even left-wing pacifism than a pragmatic judgment about how to fight best.

<snip>

[ibegurpard]

1. As a Dean supporter

I categorically reject anything Sullivan has to say, good or bad. He's a one-issue whore who's too stupid to see that the party he supports is out-of-the-ballpark wrong on his issue. If he does indeed like Dean, (which I doubt...he's probably just trying to make sure the primary drags on and not seeing that buys the Democrats more air time and more time to make the case against Bush) it's probably because of the Domestic Partnership issue in Vermont.

[LuminousX]

4. I concur

I don't trust Andrew Sullivan. Period.

[ChiefJoseph]

2. Who is Andrew Sullivan?

[LuminousX]

3. Best response of the day!

Welcome to DU!!

[streakr]

6. Who is Sullivan?

A gay, conservative repug. What a contradiction huh?

streakr

[Dutch]

5. Hmmm...funny how Sullivan should want to promote Dean.....

Really makes you think...