The Week

Asked what his favorite book of the New Testament was, Howard Dean answered, Job, thus disproving the old saw that the devil can quote Scripture.

Hot Howard Dean was asked by the Concord Monitor where Osama bin Laden should be tried, and whether he should be executed, and suddenly the peppery front-runner got cool and analytical. “I’ve resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found,” said Dean. “I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to . . . prejudge jury trials.” What Dean should have said is that, for a range of offenses, from larceny to serial murder and treason, we have jury trials. For offenses of the magnitude of war, we wage war in return. In 2001 Congress authorized the executive to attack and topple the Afghan regime that Osama had colonized like a virus. Our soldiers, and the soldiers of our allies, hunt Osama’s allies and minions to this day. When they find them, they don’t serve warrants. Come on, Howard, connect with your emotions—pretend it’s all about a bike path.

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Asked what his favorite book of the New Testament was, Howard Dean answered, Job, thus disproving the old saw that the devil can quote Scripture.

Hot Howard Dean was asked by the Concord Monitor where Osama bin Laden should be tried, and whether he should be executed, and suddenly the peppery front-runner got cool and analytical. “I’ve resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found,” said Dean. “I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to . . . prejudge jury trials.” What Dean should have said is that, for a range of offenses, from larceny to serial murder and treason, we have jury trials. For offenses of the magnitude of war, we wage war in return. In 2001 Congress authorized the executive to attack and topple the Afghan regime that Osama had colonized like a virus. Our soldiers, and the soldiers of our allies, hunt Osama’s allies and minions to this day. When they find them, they don’t serve warrants. Come on, Howard, connect with your emotions—pretend it’s all about a bike path.