Oh, it's just human nature. Whatever is now is what will be, until it changes before their eyes.
I'll say it over and over again, though, until people get it: The only reason Dean is "so popular" right now is because he is the perfect candidate for the only RAT voters paying attention a year and a half before the election day: Angry, bitter, mean-spirited Bush haters that still to this day wake up every morning with their fists clenched in rage because "stupid, drunken frat boy Dumbya" was able to stop Gore from stealing the election, and blindly idealistic college students (most of whom won't even show up to vote). This is Dean's peak. As the more moderate RAT voters start paying attention, they'll all start lining up behind the typical dull, dry types that are always their favorites: Guys like Gephardt and Lieberman. By the time the primaries and caucuses start, Dean will be well back in the pack. If he's lucky, he'll get to play some sort of spoiler role at the convention, but that's about it.