Old Words Backfire on Dean

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, one of the top contenders in the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses, said four years ago that the contest was a flawed process overly influenced by special interests.

Dean made those comments, and others that now could stir controversy, during a series of appearances on a Canadian political television program, excerpts of which were broadcast by NBC Thursday night. As governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003, Dean appeared frequently on the show.

“If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests in both parties,” he said on “The Editors” in 2000. “[And] the special interests don’t represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremes. And then you get a president who is beholden to either one extreme or the other, and where the average person is in the middle.”

On Thursday night, Dean sought to contain any damage from his remarks, affirming his belief in the caucus system and Iowa’s status as the state with the first presidential contest.

“I have spent nearly two years here in Iowa, talking to Iowans and campaigning in all 99 counties,” he said in a statement. “I support the Iowa caucus.”

But Dean’s rivals, as well as Iowa Democratic Party leaders, were quick to castigate him for his remarks, which were likely to further fuel criticism that he was a politician whose comments too often came back to haunt him.

Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri labeled Dean’s characterization of the caucuses as “unbelievable,” and said Iowa Democrats deserve an explanation. “I can’t understand his comments about special interests dominating the caucuses,” said Gephardt. “Who are these special interests?”

Stephanie Cutter, a spokeswoman for Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, asked: “Which Howard Dean are Iowans going to vote for -- the one who insults them, or the one who will be soon releasing yet another clarifying statement?”

A spokeswoman for Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat who is neutral in the race, said he “believes the Iowa caucuses remain a good proving ground for candidates as they take their messages into living rooms and around kitchen tables of real people.”

Dean’s remarks were culled from more than 90 appearances he made from 1996 to 2002 on “The Editors,” a public affairs show broadcast in Canada and on PBS stations in the U.S.

According to NBC, the tapes paint an image of Dean as quick-witted, with a strong grasp of foreign affairs.

But his appearances also highlighted his tendency to speak bluntly.

In a 1998 appearance, Dean speculated that if Hamas took over the Palestinian leadership, “There will probably be good and bad out of that. The bad, of course, is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. However, if they have to run a quasi-state they may actually have to be more responsible and start negotiations. So who knows what will happen.”

A year later, he had a darker view of Hamas, calling the prospect of the terrorist group gaining strength “a frightening proposition.” He also said the Israeli government was squandering an opportunity to deal with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

“The next great tragedy is going to be Arafat’s passing, believe it or not,” Dean said. “I’m not a fan of terrorism or Arafat. But the truth is that what’s happening here is [then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has thrown away the chance of a lifetime to negotiate with people he could negotiate with.”

Of then-Vice President Al Gore, who endorsed his candidacy last month, Dean said in 1998: “He has a lot of attributes, but ... there are some things that I am concerned about. One of them is being quick on your feet. He is not.”

Also Thursday, the Dean campaign fired two low-level volunteers who went into Kerry’s campaign offices pretending to be average voters. Kerry’s campaign reacted with outrage. Dean aides said the campaign adheres to strict ethical codes and that the two had been dismissed. *

Associated Press contributed to this report.