Dean works to ease tensions?

Well, at least Dean appears to be doing his part to ease the concerns of establishment Dems:

Dean moves to end the Democratic family feud Howard Dean, long on the Democratic establishment's you-know-what list for dumping on party boss Terry McAuliffe, has made nice. Insiders tell Whispers that Dean, the front-runner in opinion polls and fundraising, has become the first--and only--of the nine presidential candidates to help McAuliffe raise cash for the Democratic National Committee Presidential Trust. "For all those who think Dean and Terry don't get along," says a party insider, "here's the proof that the feud is over." Another official 'fessed that Dean's plea to big donors was "shocking," but added: "We love this guy now." In one letter shown to Whispers, Dean asks a donor to pony up the maximum $25,000 for the fund. Of course, party officials say the effort isn't totally magnanimous; it suggests that the candidate thinks he has the nomination sewn up. The trust is the kitty that goes to the eventual party nominee to fight President Bush. "He's already looking to the general election," says an official who also noted that the self-declared liberal has started to tout himself as a moderate.

"self-declared liberal"? Sigh. Oh well. I said several months back that rumors of Dean and McAuliffe not getting along appeared to be more of the "let's you and him fight" variety of political reporting. The report that Dean actually wanted to get rid of McAuliffe sounded like a GOP plant designed to get Democrats fighting with each other. I still stand by that theory.