The Fur Flies
Things are getting testy between Gephardt and Dean:
In the style, if not the spirit, of the Christmas season, the Gephardt campaignpenned a letter to the North Pole from President Bush. Dear Santa: “Could you please make sure Howard Dean is the Democratic nominee?” it asked. “I know this is asking a lot, but it would mean so much to me and Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft and, of course, Karl Rove.”Dean’s elves retaliated in kind, writing a Dickensian exchange that occurs between Gephardt after winning the 1988 Iowa caucus, and the Gephardt of today. In this fictional visit from the ghost of campaigns future, the younger Gephardt is incredulous that his future self has not done better.
“So honestly, in 16 years we’re still a congressman?” 1988 Gephardt asks.
“You lost the House? We had it for 40 years!”
“I’m a perennial loser? This has to be some sort of nightmare. Come on, slap me, I’ll wake up in the West Wing.”
The younger Gephardt continues: “You really stood up to the Republicans, though, right?”
Replies the future Gephardt: “Does going to war count?”
The reason for the increased testiness? If Dean wins Iowa, he’ll have the nomination wrapped up. For someone like Weasel Clark or Dick Gephardt to steal the nomination away from Dean, Gephardt has to stop him in Iowa.
— PoliPundit