SHUT UP

I must give credit where credit is due.

Earl Pomeroy, a Dem, has a message for Dr. Dean -- "SHUT UP."

Of course, it's a self-serving, tactical move on Pomeroy's part. Nonetheless, it's good to hear a Dem tell the DNC chairman to zip it.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy is accusing Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean of overstepping his bounds, saying the former presidential candidate should not give up on the war in Iraq.

On Monday, Dean likened the war in Iraq to Vietnam and said, "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong."

"My words to Howard Dean are simple - shut up," Pomeroy told WDAY Radio in North Dakota on Thursday.

If only Dr. Dean were capable of complying with Pomeroy's simple request.

Sadly, he's not. He'll continue to undermine the War on Terror by making reckless, demoralizing statements that echo around globe.

...Pomeroy said Dean wasn't representing Democrats like him when he discussed the war.

"He is not hired to make major policy announcements on behalf of all the Democrats," Pomeroy said. "As our party chairman I believe he needs to focus on the nuts and bolts of winning elections."

It would appear that Dean is appealing to the nuts that populate the radical Left rather than focusing on the nuts and bolts of campaigns.

Dean backtracked on his statements somewhat Thursday, saying his assertion that the United States cannot win the war was reported "a little out of context," and that Democrats believe a new U.S. strategy is needed to succeed there.

Dean is in CYA mode. His words weren't taken out of context at all. He probably wishes they were, but they were not.

A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee declined to comment on Pomeroy's remarks.

Why is it that the DNC deems a Dem with sensible views persona non grata?

I suspect it's because these misfits make the rest of the party look stark, raving mad.

...Pomeroy, who has visited Iraq three times, said he believes the United States must stay in the country for now to achieve progress on national security, the creation of a stable government and the establishment of a functioning economy.

Pomeroy is on board with the President's Plan for Victory. That's probably a smart place for him to be, given he represents Red State North Dakota.