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November 06, 2003
About frickin' time
Dean Apologizes for Remarks on Rebel Flag
Under attack from other candidates, he then refused to back away from his remarks at a debate in Boston on Tuesday night.
But by yesterday he made clear that he realized that his "clumsy" handling of the issue had become a large problem. In an interview with editors of The New York Times, he spoke of being in a "jam" and a "big contretemps." He used the phrase, "assuming we get through the current unpleasantness."
He said he had been up most of the night pondering the problem, and called former President Jimmy Carter yesterday morning for advice.
At the same time he said his comments had been misconstrued and he did not back away from his conviction that the party had to make inroads with white Southerners noting that the Republicans "have played the race card" since 1968 and the Democrats had to find a way to win them back with issues like health insurance. He insisted "the African-American community gets this."
Throughout the day Dr. Dean, 54, appeared subdued and reflective, a sharp contrast to the defiant tone he struck at Tuesday night's debate.
He said that his main mistake had been not immediately condemning the flag during the debate, and that he had decided to change course as he came to understand that his comments had been personally offensive to two of his rivals, the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is black, and Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.
"When people get in my face, I tend to get in theirs," Dr. Dean said in the interview at The Times. "Al Sharpton was in my face last night and I was not going to step one step, half a step, backwards, and I don't care who's in my face.
"I tend to be reflective rather later than sooner," he added. "Now, unfortunately, we all know that nobody's personality is perfect. So the things that make me a strong candidate are also my Achille's heel."
He said in several interviews that Mr. Edwards' suggestion at the debate that he was being patronizing to the South had played a "significant role" in his decision that he had to speak out further and clarify his views. "I came to the conclusion that he actually had been really wounded, that he felt the patronizing personally," he said at The New York Times.
Dr. Dean's apology quelled the criticism from some of his rivals, and many African-American leaders attributed his gaffes to a lack of communications discipline rather than a deeper misunderstanding of blacks or the South.
As much as this is a non-issue being pursued by his opponents, Dean has got to learn how to deal with this type of criticism in a way that instantly removes credibility from the attacks. It's a potentially big problem.
Posted by glyphic at November 6, 2003 09:28 AM