SIC TRANSIT STRAIGHT TALK

Dr. Nice Guy (Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris and Joanna Schubert, June 17, 2003, The CBS News)

Apparently unsatisfied with picking fights with just Sen. John Kerry, Howard Dean has now turned his charm on another of his Democratic rivals, Florida Sen. Bob Graham.

Just a few days after Dean said he was the only major candidate who'd actually appointed judges as a governor – apparently forgetting Graham's two terms as Florida governor – politicsNH.com reports that Dean threw this bomb during an appearance in Bedford, N.H.: "Bob Graham is a wonderful, decent human being, but at this time he's in single digits in all the states you can't be in single digits. I have enormous respect for Bob Graham, but at this point he's not one of the top-tier candidates. I think that's widely recognized."

Dean later backtracked a bit, saying, "that's not to say he couldn't get to be one.''

Dean also called the Graham campaign to apologize for his comments, politicsNH.com reports. But Graham spokesman Jamal Simmons said Dean's comments were ill-advised.

Dr. Dean may be abrasive, but what he said is manifestly true: Senator Graham's candidacy is a joke. You can't want to be the one honest candidate in the race and then backtrack just because the truth hurts people's inflated egos. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 17, 2003 2:32 PM