2004 political presidential cartoons about Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports  information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns  issues

September 20, 2003

… Kerry says Dean’s campaign bubble is bursting. Headline from this morning’s New York Times: “Kerry Says Dean Is ‘Imploding’” From report by the Times’ Michael Janofsky: “Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts (Friday) sharply criticized one of the other leading Democrats running for president, Howard Dean, asserting that some of his recent pronouncements show that his ‘bubble's bursting a bit.’ Referring to statements by Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, on the Middle East, the Hamas guerrillas and other issues, Mr. Kerry said, ‘You can't make 15 gaffes a week and be president.’ Mr. Kerry's remarks came near the end of an interview on WCBS-TV in New York when the camera had turned away from Mr. Kerry, who was still wearing a microphone. Mr. Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, seemed mildly amused by the interview. ‘I guess we're just on his mind a lot,’ Mr. Trippi said, pointing to another episode, the recent debate in Baltimore, when a microphone picked up Mr. Kerry muttering, ‘Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean.’ In the WCBS interview, Mr. Kerry implied that many of Dr. Dean's views would cost him his standing in the polls. ‘Dean's been imploding,’ he said. Asked what he meant, Mr. Kerry said Dr. Dean had asserted that the United States should not take sides in the Middle East conflict and that suicide bombers from Hamas were ‘soldiers.’ Mr. Kerry called those positions ‘dead wrong.’…’It just catches up,’ Mr. Kerry said. ‘Someone's going to write it. People will see it. And you know, the poll numbers are going to show it.’”