Ummm, Howard?

You really want to call the honeymoon off?

I've been hopeful that Howard Dean would understand how broad his responsibilities are as DNC Chair. He is a far higher profile personality than is usually found in the position, and has a reputation for firing from the hip (though his admirers insist that the resulting shot is invariably straight). You'd hope, then, that he'd be particularly attentive to the potential impact of his words. So attentive that we'd never have to experience headlines like this...

Dean Says Democrats Will Make Schiavo Case an Election Issue

See, he gets the principle...

The former presidential candidate said he had purposely avoided emphasizing the Schiavo case in recent weeks because Democrats needed "message discipline." In this case, he said, that means sticking to the fight against Bush's push to allow private investment accounts for Social Security benefits.

...but he just can't seem to help himself. It's not that I disagree with the idea of using the outrageous behavior of the Republican leadership during the Schiavo episode politically. Once a question is the subject of federal legislation, it's about as politicized as it can get. Personally, it's an issue probably best addressed district by district, rather than as an edict from the DNC Chair, but in any event it's the wrong message at the wrong time, as Dean himself seems to acknowledge. Additionally, while I appreciate Dr. Dean's efforts to engage the grassroots, on the record public events aren't always the best places to muse about long term election strategy.

That can't be the headline that Dean wanted coming out of LA, but it's one he should have predicted and avoided.

Buckle up, Doc. There'll be rockier roads ahead and you'll want to be careful not to throw too many passengers over the side as you go.