Centerfield

Dean: I Am In The Center

Howard Dean told Larry King

"I am in the center," he said. "I balanced budgets. The president hasn't done so. I believe that states have the right to make their own gun laws, after enforcing the federal laws vigorously. There's nothing that's not centrist about me."

Dean, who was Vermont's lieutenant governor in 1991 when Gov. Richard Snelling died, balanced the state's budget for 11 consecutive years -- although Vermont is the only state in the union that does not require a balanced budget.

"They all say, 'He's so liberal,'" Dean said. "Well, if liberal is balancing budgets, please do call me a liberal. ... If you want jobs and investment in the country, you're going to have to have a Democrat because the Republicans simply can't handle money."

Can Dean zig to the left in the primaries, and then zag to the center if he is nominated?

A lot may depend on his personality. I've always felt that Ronald Reagan was elected despite his conservatism, not because of it. Perhaps Dean can pull it off, but I'm skeptical.