How did Howard Dean, whose presidential campaign got derailed by endless replays of a barbaric yawp, go from public laughingstock to party leader? The new Democratic National Committee (D.N.C.) chairman started off with several advantages, including a loyal base that wrote a gazillion letters on his behalf and a lack of serious competition from other prominent Dems. Some Democratic Governors sought an anybody-but-Dean candidate, but neither former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey nor Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm could be persuaded to run. Likewise, Iowa's Tom Vilsack decided that being Governor and D.N.C. chairman at the same time would complicate his political career,...
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