''Gov. Dean on Inside Politics''

"Judy Woodruff, CNN: You have said that these judges who are apparently going to be confirmed aren't qualified to be on the bench.
Gov. Howard Dean: I think there are three judges going on that ought not to go on. However, it's a victory in this sense. First of all, it's a real blow against the right wing. Seven Republican Senators had the courage to stand up do what was right and loosen the death grip of the right wing has on the Republican Party. I think that's really important. That is a victory. It's a victory for the country. We don't know if this is a victory in the long run or not. I mean, there was ambiguous language about the filibuster and so forth. I think the key to finding out how big a victory this is when a nominee for the supreme court comes up, will that person be an extreme person as some of these folks are? Will the president for the first time consult with Democrats as Bill Clinton used to do before he sends up a nomination. If he does that, then we really will have loosened the death grip of the right wing on the Republican Party, that will be good for the country."-from the transcript on Kicking Ass, the DNC blog.

More: "JW: Some democrats I hear them saying, Howard Dean needs to spend more time talking about what the Democratic Party will do in a positive sense rather than criticizing Republicans.

HD: I have done that very thing. The print press only prints the hot stuff. They don't print the agenda. Television is fortunately where you do get your say. The agenda is very clear. We want a strong national defense with honesty when we talk to our parents and support for our troops when they come home and become veterans. We want an economy where we keep jobs at home where we balance the budget. We want individual freedom and personal responsibility. The president talks about freedom in iraq. What about the freedom of leaving the politicians out of personal family decisions like who is to die, who is to live. The government doesn't belong in a decision like that. That's a private, personal decision."