Anti-Anti-Anti-Deanism.

Recently, an anti-Dean ad from Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values" has appeared that has really riled a lot of Center-Left Bloggers.

The ad shows a magazine with Bin Laden on the cover. As the camera zooms in, a narrator says:

“We live in a very dangerous world. And there are those who wake up every morning determined to destroy western civilization. Americans want a President who can face the dangers ahead. But Howard Dean has no military or foreign policy experience. And Howard Dean just cannot compete with George Bush on foreign policy. It’s time for Democrats to think about that… and think about it now.”

This questioning of Dean's foreign affairs and national security credibility has set off a hurricane of hand wringing among Deaniacs and even anti-Dean democrats. However, I think the Poor Man is just about right when he comments that:

1) Osama bin Laden's a real person. I know that you know that, but let's put this fact front and center - they didn't bring up Hitler or Skeletor here…. Claiming that invoking the name or graven image of Osama bin Laden in an ad about national security is somehow not kosher demonstrates a profound lack of seriousness about national security.

2) I also checked Dean's resume, and it turns out that he doesn't have any military or foreign policy experience

The foreign policy will be central in the next election and more importantly, the next Presidential administration and we ought to nominate a candidate with more experience with it. We can’t pretend like foreign affairs don’t matter. The Democrats, especially any Democrat that wants to be president, needs to offer more than opposition to the President’s policies, they must have plans of their own. I’m not ruling out Dean as a serious candidate on foreign policy, but it is best for the Country and the Democratic Party if we know for sure before we send him against Bush, rather than after.