by Mark Silva
No sour grapes here, of course, but Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and erstwhile candidate for president, says he made it "pretty clear'' that he would have liked to serve as President Barack Obama's secretary of Health and Human Services.
Dean, who is a physician and the former governor of Vermont, told the Huffington Post today: "I was pretty clear that I would have liked to have been Secretary of HHS, but it is the president's choice and he decided to go in a different direction.''
That direction is Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, whom Obama will announce as his HHS nominee at 1 pm EST today.
Dean's name floated after former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle withdrew from consideration because of tax problems - he paid $140,000 in back taxes and fines.
The sharp-elbowed Dean may not have made the best chief negotiation for Obama's plans to overhaul health care. Sebelius was insurance commissioner for Kansas before election as governor, experience that should prove helpful in the debate.
Comments
Hey Howard,
.
What does it feel like to be next to BOs Grandma under the bus?
Posted by: Terry | March 2, 2009 12:45 PM
No hard feelings Howard, that's just the way they do it Cook County style - it's not personal, just business. Ha!
Posted by: vla | March 2, 2009 1:04 PM
I think the Administration feels as if they have enough loose canons on the deck Howard.
I, of coarse, question whether any of them are bolted down at all.
Posted by: Rob | March 2, 2009 1:13 PM
Obama must find a way to soothe the liberal base after clearly dissing Howard Dean, their hero.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | March 2, 2009 1:14 PM
Just wondering why Howard Dean was totally shut out of the Obama/Emanuel WH. Obama hired other presidential hopefuls. Is Emanuel the operative word in Obama/Emanuel WH?
Posted by: Vivian | March 2, 2009 1:22 PM
Rahm Emanuel IS the president of the United States!
Don't worry he will rub democrats the wrong way. It's his nature.
Posted by: mark | March 2, 2009 1:44 PM
He keeps dissing his BASE!
The expanded war in Iraq; ('ending' it with 50,000 soldiers left behind is NOT an end)
Expanding into Afghanistan;
Failing to prosecute Bush/Cheney etc for torture;
Failing to give a job to Howard Dean for which he is imminently qualified....
Posted by: I hope he's not a one term wonder | March 2, 2009 1:48 PM
Dean would not have been a smart choice. His combative and uncompromising personality would create more problems than it would solve, perhaps creating a repeat of Hillary's sorry history when she pushed her health care reforms 15 years ago. Obama doesn't need that kind of grief at a time when our need to address the health care mess is more desperate than ever.
Posted by: Humanist | March 2, 2009 1:55 PM
Ha ha, Howard. Turning a blind eye to blatant sexism during the primaries to protect Obama didn't do you much good in the end, did it? All that work to get your man elected, questionable caucuses, rigged rules...all for naught. Now go hang out with the long list of those Obama has used and tossed aside when their usefulness has expired: Rezko, Wright, Kerry, Caroline, Emil, Rod, Todd, Claypool, Ma, Grandma, campaign promises...
Posted by: Bemused | March 2, 2009 2:23 PM
Oh god some of you are ridiculous here. If he'd picked Howard Dean you'd be railing against him for being the wrong person to do the job because he's too partisan as the ex DNC chief.
There is honest criticism and then there is just plain being contrary because you don't like the President. If he said the sky is blue, some of you would be saying not at night it isn't.
Posted by: Joe | March 2, 2009 4:08 PM
Pres. Obama wants to get a health care bill through Congress, not stoke Gov. Dean's considerable ego. Dean would have been the worst choice for this job.
Oh, BTW, Matt what makes you think you can speak for Liberals?
Posted by: HLC | March 2, 2009 5:13 PM
Poor Howard Dean.
He belongs to a party where qualifications are always trumped by political correctness. Selecting a woman makes more sense than picking a qualified white guy. Your efforts for the party and the current administration were given a proper reward. NOTHING. Now get back to work!
Posted by: Bushwacker | March 2, 2009 5:16 PM
As Humanist stated above, it would not have been a good fit. Dean needs a job that plays to his strengths, and his temperament doesn't lend itself to a Cabinet position. There's an important place for him in the administration, but that's not it.
Posted by: Tom J | March 2, 2009 8:26 PM
The ex DNC chief is TOO PARTISAN but the ex dem political candidate is NOT? WHAAAATTTT?
Without Howard's strategy (which Rahm and Carville took credit for in 2006) we would not HAVE Obama as prez.
Please.
Posted by: is this how a dem acts? | March 3, 2009 4:59 AM
I think Barack should ask Howard to be Surgeon General. He would assist in educating the public on the healthcare system that's coming up and also be able to think of ways to communicate with the public for the best health messages.
Posted by: Ginny | March 3, 2009 1:33 PM