I just came back from the local Dean2004 Meetup for Portland (OR) and, for the first time in a long time, I'm actually excited by a Democrat. There were 41 people there, which to my mind is pretty amazing considering that it is so early in the campaign. The excitement of the people in the room was palpable. Several of the people there talked about being frustrated by the passivity of most of the Democratic leadership. Many expressed a desire to find some positive way to express their anger and I think Dean has a real chance of tapping into that reserve. There were even a few Republicans there all of who expressed regret for voting for Bush! There were also a few greenies who said that Dean may be the only Democrat with a decent chance of bringing at least some of the Naderites back into the fold. I've moved the meetup button for Dean2004 higher up on the column on the left. I would encourage all readers to click on it and see if there are similar meetings taking place in your area. You can also check out Dean's website, DeanForAmerica.com (which, btw, is one of the best candidate web site names I have seen). It's nice to be for something instead of just against something.