Here's what the DLC was saying in August 2003:

"However, while the president was a prime target, the man who drew the most fire and venom was Howard Dean, who, according to the DLC, is the only man whom George Bush will vanquish. They say that the unfortunate former governor of Vermont doesn't stand a chance of winning because he has opposed the war in Iraq and works happily with the street activists against the administration's present policies in Iraq. Worse, Dean has promised to repeal the Bush tax cuts and spend vast sums on medical benefits.

"The DLC foams at the mouth because of Dean's campaign style, particularly when he introduces himself as from "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." The Party elite see Howard Dean, not as another Bill Clinton, but as a look-a-like for George McGovern, Michael Dukakis and Walter Mondale, with no chance of winning even his own state.

"Yet to the majority of Vermonters, Dean's support of business interests, his budget surplus, his tax cuts, his "workfare" and health care reforms -- together with endorsements from the National Rifle Association -- make him an excellent centrist candidate. But Howard Dean is now firmly seen as a "man of the left." He already has the activist anti-war vote, he will get the support of the AFL-CIO and he is already campaigning against the Bush foreign policy. "