I am writing you because I completely disagree with Michael McRaith's column [WCT Jan. 28] that Howard Dean has been misleading in his position on gay marriage. As is clear in the article, Dean has been clear from the beginning that he is not pro-gay marriage but supports civil unions as an important way of ensuring equal civil rights. Also clear from the column is that none of the other candidates support gay marriage either. In fact at no point does Michael McRaith quote Dean saying anything misleading—it seems to me that McRaith is misleading.
The tiresome reference to George McGovern is outdated and unsupported. And the comparison of Dean's record to George W. Bush is also misleading. Dean's experiences is just as similar to Clinton's, who also had been a governor before becoming president. John Kerry was a brave Vietnam hero, but unfortunately his record since is not as heroic. Kerry did not stand up against Bush until he saw how positively people were accepting Dean's message.
How do we know what he stands for if he changes with the wind? I want a change and I want the next president to be someone with experience making changes. Dean's record in Vermont makes it clear he has experience making positive changes on domestic issues. In addition, it is clear he know what he is talking about with regard to foreign policy because all the other candidates have started mimicking it. Dean as the nominee with mean real change in Washington.
Lara M Triona, Pittsburgh
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