Howard Dean leads the band....

Mr. Dean's Opus...

I don't normally comment directly on things political for several reasons. First, there are people, many people, on the web who do it more effectively than I do and, quite frankly, I get tired of reading about it. However after watching and reading about the campaign of one Mr. Howard Dean, I could no longer hold back from an essay on the subject. The more I see of the man, the more I am struck by one thing.

Mr. Dean is the long lost, and given up for dead, brother of actor Richard Dreyfuss. Not only is the physical similarity striking, but the characteristics and mannerisms of his personna are straight from the Dreyfuss mold. Dreyfuss's stock in trade as an actor is playing the kind of character that immature women find adorable. The bumbling numbnuts who is well intentioned but because of his ineptitude is always held back from being a real success until the end of the film when he accepts who he is and finds limited happiness in that. He plays with distinction the smarmy misunderstood nice guy who gets trampled on by more "type A" personalities. The man for the thinking people of the world, who just don't quite have the skills nor ability to influence things themselves.

And so it is with Howard Dean. His missteps in coherent speech, his quoting of bogus facts, his self acknowledged expertise in such areas as the Bible and national defense, all could be Oscar roles for Dreyfuss. He presents himself as the little guy fighting the system, Mr. Holland trying to give you, the common man, a little bit of his learning. He's smarter than you, he knows what you need. If I were to see Howard Dean on the street, a pudgy little strutting bantam rooster in a short sleeve shirt and tie, I would think........"Band Director". Not that I have anything against band directors, but I don't think I want one to be our President in these slippery times.