Dean Not Expecting Feb 3rd Victories

Howard Dean, his campaign reeling, acknowledged on Thursday that he's unlikely to win in the seven states next up on the Democratic campaign calendar, while front-runner John Kerry dismissed a Republican attack on his defense record as ``the greatest form of flattery.''

In two decades in the Senate, ``I have voted for the largest defense budgets in the history of our country,'' said Kerry, rebutting the latest criticism from Republican chairman Ed Gillespie.