Endorsements

My Congressman, David Wu, has endorsed Howard Dean.

Dean was speaking before the Asian American Action Fund and Wu, allegedly, decided to endorse Dean on the spot (note: I doubt Wu did this without serious thought before hand. But it is possible he made the final go decision while standing on the podium.). What is interesting is that Wu did this right after Dean got through criticizing Democrats for supporting the "No Child Left Behind Bill", a bill which Wu supported:

Wu, the head of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, had just given a detailed explanation of why he and Honda had voted with George Bush on his educational reform, "No Child Left Behind," explaining that the administration subsequently failed to follow through on its promises.

Dean, plowing ahead with his speech, duly castigated "Bush-lite" Democrats who voted for the act. (This was the height of diplomacy compared to an earlier Dean comment in October, when he promised that if he were elected, members of Congress would be "scurrying for shelter, just like a giant flashlight on a bunch of cockroaches.")

But, typical of how things are going these days for the front-running Dean, what might have become a gaffe for a struggling candidate was politely ignored -- after he finished speaking, Wu returned to the microphone, wished Dean a happy birthday, and announced that he was deciding "right now" to endorse Dean. (The host group as a whole isn't yet ready to make an official endorsement, but their comments afterward may have provided a hint as to their leanings. "It's hard not to look at the significance of [Dean] coming to our event," said the group's executive director, Irene Bueno.)

Dean was also endorsed by Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif, and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

That confederate flag flap has really hurt Dean in the minority community.