Neo-Con Expects Dean to Turn Conservative On National Security

Kagan - No George McGovern

Dean has been portrayed, especially by Republicans, as the new George McGovern. But judging by Dean's public statements at least, there is a big difference between the nature of his antiwar critique and the anti-Vietnam critique offered by McGovern and his followers three decades ago.

"There are two groups of people who support me because of the war," Dean told Mara Liasson a few months ago. "One are the people who always oppose every war, and in the end I think I probably won't get all of those people." The other group, Dean figures, simply "appreciates the fact" that he "stood up early" and spoke his mind and opposed Bush while other Democrats were cowed. Dean may not be offering a stark alternative to Bush's foreign policy, therefore, so much as he is simply offering Democrats a compelling and combative alternative to Bush himself.

The Bushies are planning to run against a dovish McGovern, but there's a remote possibility they could find themselves running against a hawkish Kennedy. The bigger implication, which the rest of the world should note well, is that the general course of American foreign policy is fairly stable and won't be soon toppled -- not even by Howard Dean.

&c. believes it will lead to a Sister Souljah moment with Dean attacking ANSWER or some other group. More likely it will lead to Dean directing more attention to his moderate hawkish foreign and military policy positions. Before recent Iraq related special spending the US was already responsible for 44% of the world military budget, more than the next 15 strongest countries.

Dean does not plan to reduce the military budget. This is not a position I support but is a realistic accessment of where the country is and what is necessary to win the White House.