Doctor, Doctor, give us some news...

We've got a bad case of W.

riverheart and I attended the Seattle kick-off rally for Howard Dean's campaign for President tonight. By the time we left Paradux Hill, about 860 people had registered (via Howard Dean's own official weblog) for the meeting; well over 1000 people crowded into the meeting place, to watch a video of Doctor Dean's announcement speech earlier today and view a streaming video link direct from the candidate to the various west coast venues.

To be honest, I don't think Dean is the best candidate in the field; I agree with Dennis Kucinich's values and positions more than I do with Dean. But Dean is the best electable candidate now running, and I think it's mandatory not only that Dubya and his coterie of unspeakably vile excrescences on the Body Politic be lanced forthwith, but that the so-called Democrats (a.k.a. "Republican Lite") who have tacitly supported his policies be turfed out of their own positions of entrenched power, so that the true owners of government— We, the People— can take our country back.

Governor Dean's speech (I don't really know which title is preferred; he's an M.D. who's a former state Governor...) can be found on his campaign website, linked above. But there are two highlights I want to quote in parting.

Here's the first:

The history of our nation is clear: At every turn when there has been an imbalance of power, the truth questioned, or our beliefs and values distorted, the change required to restore our nation has always come from the bottom up from our people.

And so, while the President raises $4 million more tonight to maintain his agenda, we will not be silent.

He calls his biggest fundraisers Rangers and Pioneers.

But today, we stand together with thousands in Burlington, Vermont and tens of thousands more, standing with us right now in every state in this nation. And we call ourselves, simply, Americans.

And we stand today in common purpose to take our country back.

And here's the second:

The great lie spoken by politicians on platforms like this is the cry of "elect me and I will solve all your problems."

The truth is the future of our nation rests in your hands, and not in mine.

Abraham Lincoln said that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth.

But this President has forgotten ordinary people.

You have the power to reclaim our nation's destiny.

You have the power to rid Washington of the politics of money.

You have the power to make right as important as might.

You have the power to give Americans a reason to vote again.

You have the power to restore our nation to fiscal sanity and bring jobs back to our people.

You have the power to fulfill Harry Truman's dream and bring health insurance to every American.

You have the power to give us a foreign policy consistent with American values again.

You have the power to take back the Democratic Party.

You have the power to take our country back.

And we have the power to take the White House back in 2004.