House Dems stoke the fire By Josephine Hearn House Democratic leaders yesterday distanced themselves from Howard Dean’s fiery rhetoric, saying that the outspoken Democratic Party chairman’s recent controversial statements do not speak for them. Their comments echoed Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) and former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards (N.C.), who took issue over the weekend with Dean’s recent statement that “a lot of [Republicans] have never made an honest living in their lives.” Dean’s penchant for harsh rhetoric has drawn criticism several times already since he took the helm of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in February. Last...