Dean Fields Tough Questions on NBC, Formally Opens Campaign

The New York Times - On the eve of the official announcement of his presidential candidacy, Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, came under intense questioning today by Tim Russert on "Meet the Press."

Dr. Dean, a Democrat who prides himself on his straightforwardness, equivocated on several issues. He sidestepped answering whether he would support the prescription drug plan backed by the Bush administration and some Democrats.

Asked whether he would support a constitutional amendment to balance the budget, he said, "I go back and forth on that." Asked whether a same-sex couple that was married in Canada could be considered legally married in the United States, he said, "I can't answer that question because it's a legal question."

Tough and slanted article.

Reuters, which is generally much more conservative, had a balanced report on his formal announcement today.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean formally launched his 2004 Democratic presidential campaign on Monday, vowing to restore a sense of community and purpose to a nation "in crisis" from President Bush's divisive policies.

At a rally attended by thousands of supporters on the downtown streets of his adopted hometown, Dean said Bush had undermined U.S. power in the world, battered the economy and shaken faith in American institutions.

Dean, whose denunciations of the war in Iraq helped propel him into the upper tier of the nine Democrats vying to challenge Bush in 2004, said Bush and his advisers "have embraced a form of unilateralism that is even more dangerous than isolationism."

Dean said every U.S. president must be willing to take up arms in defense, but "there is a fundamental difference between the defense of our nation and the doctrine of preemptive war espoused by this administration."

While he initially planned to put universal health care and a balanced budget at the center of his platform, Dean told the crowd that his reasons for running have changed during his last year of traveling the country.

"This campaign is about more than issue differences on health care, tax cuts, national security, jobs, the environment and our economy," he said. "It's about who we are as Americans."