Quotes of the Day

In front of a crowd of more than 250 disappointed campaign aides and hometown supporters at a Burlington hotel, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean on Wednesday declared "the end of phase one" of his effort to change the country. While dropping out of the presidential campaign, Dean said he would stay on the ballot in states that have primaries in the coming weeks, hoping to make sure he and his supporters have enough delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Boston that they can help shape the party's platform. And Dean said he would convert his web operation, which has revolutionized political fund-raising by amassing more than 300,000 supporters to give small donations, into some sort of grass-roots organization that could support congressional candidates.

Most of his supporters say they will vote for whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee, motivated more by their anger at President Bush than warm feelings about any other candidate. Some Dean aides prefer North Carolina Sen. John Edwards to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, and one senior aide said the former Vermont Gov. felt Edwards was a "more genuine carrier" of Dean's anti-establishment message. But Dean didn't shown any signs of making a formal endorsement of any of the other candidates, and he has continued to criticize what he calls the "Washington establishment" which he says has adopted his message, but only out of "convenience, rather than conviction."

Even without any show of support from Dean, Edwards will benefit from Dean's withdrawal, which leaves Edwards as the sole alternative to Kerry. And Edwards has continued to trumpet his showing in Wisconsin, where he surged to within six points of Kerry after trailing by as much as 20 in polls last week and finished far ahead of Kerry among independent voters. But Edwards, who starts a five-state tour tomorrow through states that will vote on March 2, will need require a dramatic comeback. Kerry has won 15 of the first 17 states, Edwards only one.

• Perry Bacon Jr.
• Howard Dean leaves the race, and John Edwards may gain the most