Dean confident Nebraska wants change

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By DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

OMAHA – In responding to a national desire to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, Democrats must be careful to do so in a manner that demonstrates support for the soldiers, Howard Dean said Wednesday.

At times, Democrats may find they need to exercise caution to “not push so far so fast,” he said.

So far, Dean said, he believes Democratic congressional leaders “have done a good job” in honoring the will of the people.

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Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean addresses supporters during a fundraising engagement in Omaha on Wednesday. (AP)

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean addresses supporters during a fundraising engagement in Omaha on Wednesday. (AP)

“Voters said we shouldn’t be there” anymore when they turned over both houses of Congress to Democrats last November, Dean said.  Seventy percent of the respondents in national polls believe the war was a mistake, he said, and that they were misled.

Dean, the former Vermont governor who now serves as Democratic national chairman, mounted a presidential campaign three years ago opposed to the war.

President Bush “made a terrible mistake,” Dean said during an interview prior to two Nebraska Democratic Party fundraising events.

While Democrats stand with the majority of Americans who “support the troops and want to get us out of Iraq,” he said, “the president doesn’t seem to want to do either, (and) that’s a pretty stark difference.”

Dean pointed to shabby living conditions for some wounded veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center and the bureaucratic inattention to their needs as an example of Bush’s apparent indifference.

Looking ahead to Democratic prospects in Nebraska, Dean said he believes Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel’s Senate seat is likely to be “one of the targets” for the national party next year.

“I’m pretty convinced we can win that seat whether Chuck runs or not,” he said. “Nebraskans want a change.”

Democrats are making gains in Nebraska, he said, “but it’s a building process.”

The national party will continue to provide “baseline assistance” by financing three field staff organizers and a communications director, Dean said, while remaining prepared to pump in additional resources “over and above, based on prospects.”

Dean’s 50-state strategy was credited with fueling many of last year’s Democratic gains.

“I believe the future of the Democratic Party depends on us going everywhere,” he said.

“We were a very distant stepchild before Howard Dean was elected,” said Democratic State Chairman Steve Achelpohl of Omaha.

“The Democratic National Committee has truly become a partner.”

As a result, Achelpohl said, Nebraska Democrats are “undergoing a renaissance,” as exemplified by their 69 county conventions last year.

The national party pumps in $130,000 a year to finance the four staff positions.

Dean said he believes Nebraska may “get a front seat look” at next year’s Democratic presidential race with its new Feb. 9 state party presidential caucuses.

Unlike many pundits, Dean said he thinks it’s “not likely” the Democratic race will be settled in a “super duper primary” on Feb. 5 featuring a number of large states.

“I like the idea of stretching it out a little more,” he said.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.