First Door on the Left

Charley Reese writes…

Several times I’ve heard television journalists complain that Howard Dean has to learn to control his temper. Actually, it is his temper that I find attractive.

An honest man with sincere convictions will get angry when he hears lies. Some of our greatest presidents had ferocious tempers. George Washington, Andy Jackson and Harry Truman are three examples.

You don’t see other candidates getting angry because they are all phonies. Their so-called convictions are just campaign positions manufactured by their staffs. They don’t really believe in anything except getting elected, so they really don’t care what is said. They are like trial lawyers. They are interested only in scoring points and winning. There’s nothing personal, and the truth simply doesn’t matter.

Whether you agree with him or not, Howard Dean actually believes in his convictions. He is a genuine man. An honest, genuine man will not suffer fools lightly, nor will he stand around like a dummy with a phony smile on his face while he hears himself lied about.

I probably would not agree with Dr. Dean on all of his positions, but I certainly trust him, if he is elected, to do what he honestly believes is in the best interest of the country. That’s more than I can say for any of the other candidates. It’s this quality of being real and genuine that I think has attracted hundreds of thousands of people to his campaign.

What people see is an intelligent man who isn’t catering to the press, who isn’t resorting to weasel words. This could be, and I pray it is, the start of a sea change in American politics. It could be that after so many disappointments, Americans are finally wising up to the professional politicians whose statements are manufactured for campaign purposes only.

And, if you want to catch a glimpse of what life is really like on the campaign trail, you should go read this entry on the official Dean for America weblog.