Alter: Dean Seemed 'Off His Meds'

NewsMax ^ | 1/20/04 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Howard Dean's bizarre concession speech Monday night, where he roared about winning future primaries and ended with a final, screeching, "Yeeehaahhhh," left more than a few journalists wondering about the emotional stability of the former Democratic presidential front-runner.

"[Dean's speech] was a little strange," Newsweek's Jonathan Alter said Tuesday. "He looked like he was off his medication or something."

"He was just trying to be feisty for his supporters," Alter told radio host Don Imus. "But he just went way over the top. He was about as presidential as Howard Beale in 'Network,'" the liberal columnist observed.

Alter said the press had egg on its face after anointing Dean as all but unstoppable, only to see his personality quirks and questions about his temperament send his campaign into a tailspin in Iowa.

"I think that the press should learn a thing or two and not get into one of these situations where we proclaim the whole thing over," he told Imus.

Iowa Caucus day started off badly for Dean, when he grew testy during an interview on "Fox & Friends" after being asked about his admission that he hyperventilated in 1991 upon learning that Vermont Gov. Richard Snelling's death had left him in charge.

"If you were to become president of the United States in charge of almost 300 million people, we don't have to worry about you breathing in an out of a paper bag, do we?" asked host Steve Doocy.

Dean bristled and accused Fox of hitting him below the belt, even though just last week he acknowledged suffering "anxiety attacks" in the past and talked openly about the hyperventilation episode.

In response to Doocy's grilling, the former front-runner pledged that he would release his medical records "at the time when we get then all together."

[cyborg]

LOL unexpected schadenfreud... there should be a Howard Dean looney bin ping list

[governsleastgovernsbest]

the former front-runner pledged that he would release his medical records "at the time when we get then all together."

Yeah, must be very difficult and confusing for Dean to get his medical records together, being a doctor and all.

[Frank_Discussion]

I expected his to start twitching and screaming "Clouseau!" and any moment...

[BenLurkin]

Kinda hard to understand Dean's rabid reaction to the cauci results.

Did his supporters egg him on by enthusiatically chanting "We're number Three, We're number Three"?

[EggsAckley]

[BenLurkin]

So much to organize and so little white-out.

[Baseballguy]

Onio, North Carolina, ....

At least he knows his states.

[pabianice]

A real shame. If only he had self-destructed after having become the Dem candidate.

[cynicom]

He may have to re write some of his records, that takes time also there is the editing.

[evets]

Oh solo mi oh!

[discostu]

That was wild last night. I kept expecting Stone Cold or Mankind to suddenly appear on stage, the whole thing seemed choreographed by Vince McMahon, there should have been a cage match after his speech.

[SamAdams76]

In response to Doocy's grilling, the former front-runner pledged that he would release his medical records "at the time when we get then all together."

This could take a while.

[EggsAckley]

That floating head and hand are majorly creepy. The skin just doesn't look right. Looks dead or something.

[1Old Pro]

About 18% of the Dems make up the Looney Left. Dean will get these 18% but not much more. He's toast. Too bad, I wanted Bush to have a chance at him.

[Cultural Jihad]

"The Perfect Drizzle" should be his campaign slogan.

[steve-b]

"You never know whether you're going to get 'Smeagol Dean' or 'Gollum Dean'."
  --Jon Stewart

[AppyPappy]

Yup, Toast.

[bvw]

Big media-Beltway franchise protection spin.

The more you buy the more they'll sell you. And it ain't never cheap. A pound of flesh -- not enough. They'll take a ten pounds, withheld with every week s paycheck, and from every one of your children and grandchildren too.

Don't be celebrated such attacks, for the sake of all our wallets and whatever liberty and free adulthood "they" would leave us.

[Grampa Dave]