I've heard dumber ideas...

...I suppose, but not from our side, not lately.

Political Wire cites Howard Feinman writing on the 'Stop Dean' movement, largely populated by Clintonistas who rear that the Governor is "...too left and too loose-lipped." (They may be about half right about half of that, but the fact that they let stories like this loose indicates their own problems with lip zipping.)

So what's their solution?

"Last week the search for a surefire Dean-stopper (if there is one) reached new levels, Newsweek has learned, with several governors -- among them Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and Bill Richardson of New Mexico -- trying to gin up a last-ditch plan: let Dean be chairman, but confine his role to pure nuts-and-bolts duties by layering him with a new 'general chairman' spokesman for the party."

Huh? Howard Dean's main value to the Party right now is his popularity as a spokesman for a newly energized faction of the Democratic grassroots. His personal skills with the 'nuts-and-bolts' aspects of Party-building are, at best, uncertain. He has shown a certain amount of skill for taking some bold risks in hiring people to manage nuts-and-bolts campaigning for him and in listening to some unorthodox voices when they advocate unorthodox approaches. That's worked out well for him sometimes, less well other times.

But his greatest value is as a spokesman. If you don't want him speaking for the Party (as if you could stop him, titles notwithstanding), then don't elect him. Don't, though, give him a title and then muzzle him. It's pointless.

Want to share the responsibilities? Put Howard on the talk shows and give Simon Rosenberg the nuts-and-bolts job. Simon's a proven pro in that arena.

Better yet, give Simon the whole damn job and put Howard on the ballot for US Senate.