As a Vermonter, I have to say my faith in Dean has grown, and my faith in the mainstream media has shrunk. Interesting that they wouldn't even cover the WEATHER in Vermont when Dean was doing well.   They'd talk about those awful temperatures in Maine, New Hampshire and New York, but we seemed to disappear.

Howard was a good, if fiscally conservative, governor. A small state isn't easy to run. We have to have all of the same stuff, but on a smaller tax base, and he managed it well. He did a whale of an organizing job, and he has definitely put a burr under the Democratic party's tail. I find it hard to complain about any of that.

I hope that he can continue to make life interesting between now and November. Yes, he did quit running for president, because he does have some political sense, and his ego could bow to his good sense. Rare these days, I reckon.   I believe (and I'm not normally a paranoid person) that if Bush wins this election, we won't have any more. At best, we'll lose another 3 million jobs, increase the deficit some more, and give media, corporations and the military more of a hold on this country. Unlike Ralph Nadar, Dean could see that, and will push the Democrats to mount a real campaign of issues, rather than the out-republicaning the republicans campaigns of the past.

I'll support whoever runs from the Dems in November, but on Vermont's Town Meeting Day, I'll vote for my own governor. (He's one of our more moderate politicians. You should pay attention to Bernie Sanders if you want to really hear a different opinion.)

Susan