Dean's 'I Have a Scream' Speech
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January 21, 2004
Howard Dean? Howard Beale? Or Howard the duck? Who exactly was that guy on TV the other night - with rolled sleeves, pumping fists, unusual rhetorical flourishes ("aaaarrrrggghhhh!") and a command of U.S. geography? ("Connecticut! ... New York! ... ... ... Ohio! ... ")
And loud. Very loud.
In one of the most remarkable concession-non-concession speeches in recent U.S. political history, the former governor of Vermont and Democratic presidential candidate gave supporters and viewers a performance Monday night that was both inspirational and riveting. But also - let's just get this out of the way right now - strange.
In the process, he left this important question hanging: Did he lose or did he win? (And this one too: Is Dr. Dean running for president of the United States, for the part of suicidal anchorman Howard Beale in a remake of the movie "Network" or for commissioner of World Wrestling Entertainment.)
