I rather liked the old Howard Dean

Too bad he bears little resemblance to the new one.

Dean Criticized Iowa Caucuses Four Years Ago -NBC

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean told a Canadian public affairs program four years ago the Iowa caucuses were "dominated by the special interests" and a waste of time, according to tapes aired by NBC News on Thursday.

Howie sure has been wasting alot of time for the last several months. Guess he can't really critique Clark for sitting it out.

Dean, who is leading the nine-member Democratic field in polls in Iowa just more than a week before that state's caucuses, was a frequent guest on the program while Vermont governor and voiced strong opinions on several other subjects, including President Bush, who was "in his soul, a moderate."

In their soul, those Yale boys stick together.

He also said former Vice President Al Gore, who endorsed him last month and will campaign for him in Iowa on Friday, was not quick on his feet.

True. Al is not a great dancer. His political judgement sucks, too.

"If you look at the caucus system, they are dominated by the special interests, in both sides, in both parties," Dean said on the Canadian television show "The Editors."

"The special interests don't represent the centrist tendencies of the American people, they represent the extremes."

So how do you spin a win, Doctor?

Talking about the time-consuming process of attending a caucus with neighbors as opposed to casting a ballot in a primary, he said, "I can't stand there and listen to everyone else's opinion for eight hours about how to fix the world."

Headline: Dean Encourages Iowans to boycott Caucus

Dean could not be immediately reached for comment about the remarks.

Now he's quiet?
...

In December 2000, shortly after Bush's election, Dean speculated on Bush's future political vulnerabilities.

"So I think that all of us who are salivating and saying, 'Ah hah,' this is going to be a one-term presidency,' I think that is going to be a mistake," he said.

Guess this exlpains his campaign. He doesn't think he can win, either.