Odd reversal by George "Stoner" Will:

(Yeah, I'm re-reading Franken. "Chickenhawk brigade" is classic stuff)

The 2004 election, even more than most elections, will turn on the parties' ability to turn out their committed supporters. And some in the White House are beginning to worry about Dean because he understands that venting may be a practical precursor to governing: Venting energizes the party's base.

That is why some in the White House say they worry that Dean might be an especially dangerous opponent. But, then, Br'er Rabbit said, 'Please, Br'er Fox, don't fling me in that briar patch.'

See, this is what confuses me... I hadn't really heard from anybody aside from Will here that the White House doesn't want Dean as an opponent. On the contrary: a thousand stories and editorials talk about how the Republicans are chortling with glee at the prospect of facing McGovern redux. So while Will may well be correct about the "briar patch", he seems to be either completely missing the picture or deliberately obscuring it.