Dean Gets It

Democratic party chair Howard Dean says he's not happy that Iraqi war veteran Paul Hackett is dropping out of the race for U-S Senate in Ohio.

Dean told a student audience in Miami that "some skulduggery in Washington" improperly led to Hackett's decision to end his bid. And he said Democrats will have a tough time winning if similar things happen to others.

Hackett was vying with Ohio congressman Sherrod Brown for the Democratic nomination. He said that Hackett was a "great candidate," and that a primary in Ohio wouldn't have hurt the party. Hackett says he's ending his eleven-month political career.

The same forces that torpedoed Dean in 2004 did in Hackett here. Dean understands this. He understands that primaries don't hurt the party, either.

This was not a battle between the "far left" and the moderate wing. If it was, Hackett would be in the race, and the far more liberal Brown would be out. This was a battle between those inside the tent and those outside the tent. Dean is inside, but knows all too well what it's like to be outside. That's why I'm hopeful. That's one of the only reasons right now.