The SLAP heard round the world

I think the reasons Gore did this were 1) party unity. Gore represented the “establishment” and Dean campaigned as an “outsider” against the establishment. This endorsement bridges that gap substantially and makes the party appear more unified. 2) Gore (and obviously Dean) want to persuade the Dem voters who are as yet uncommitted, or have committed to one of the other candidates who don’t stand a chance of getting elected, to funnel their campaign contributions where they will help the most: to Howard Dean. Remember, the ultimate goal (obviously) is to defeat George Bush next year. Gore’s decided Dean will be the best man to attempt to do just that. Will be interesting to see how this plays out with the Mac and the Clintons.