DEAN TELLS STUDENTS THEY CAN CHANGE NATION

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean revved up a crowd of mostly
UW-Madison students on Sunday, telling the students they have the power to
change their country just as young people did during the Vietnam War era.

"You're not the foot soldiers of our campaign," Dean declared from an
outdoor stage in front of the Kohl Center on campus before 3,000 to 5,000
people. "You're the drivers of our campaign. We wouldn't be here if it
weren't for you."

Dean, the former Vermont governor and physician widely perceived as one of
the leaders in the 10-person race for the Democratic nomination, ripped
President George Bush for "misleading the nation" into war with Iraq.

Dean said he supported the first Gulf War because Iraq had invaded Kuwait,
an ally. Dean also supported military operations in Afghanistan because
terrorists based there killed thousands of Americans on Sept. 11, 2001, he
said.

"As commander in chief of the United States military, I will send our
troops anywhere in the world to defend the United States of America," Dean
said. "But I will never send our sons and daughters, our brothers and
sisters and our grandchildren to a foreign country in harm's way without
telling the truth to the American people."

The Bush administration lied about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction
and close ties to Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, Dean charged.
Bush also has hurt America's reputation and relations around the world, he
added.

Defending America takes more than a strong military, Dean said.

"A more important part even than that is to have high moral principles and
a set of ideals to which the rest of the world aspires," he said. "I will
restore the honor and integrity (of America) based on cooperation, not
confrontation."

Organizers estimated the crowd at 5,000. UW-Madison Police said more than
3,000 people were initially at the rally, but the crowd later appeared to
swell. Dean arrived about an hour late at 5 p.m., which didn't seem to
bother the many people carrying campaign signs and banners under the bright
sun of a crisp fall day.

Besides foreign policy, Dean charged that Bush has failed on the economy,
the environment, education and health care. The budget deficit and national
debt have ballooned to record size, in part because of tax cuts that
primarily helped the wealthy, Dean said. Dean said he would repeal the tax
cuts and invest the money in early education, universal health care and
renewable energy.

"We all love our SUVs," Dean said. "We can get 40 miles per gallon out of
our SUVs, and that ought to be the law."

Dean said the same amount of money that Bush wants for the Iraq war, $87
billion, could pay for a year of health care for all.

Once during his speech, an audience member threw Dean off his prepared
comments by asking if he would legalize medical marijuana if elected. Dean
said he'd give the Food and Drug Administration a year to analyze research
on the issue. Whatever the FDA recommended, Dean would accept.

As a physician himself, Dean said he expects the FDA would approve medical
marijuana for AIDS and cancer patients, but perhaps not for glaucoma
because the risks might outweigh the benefit.

Dean, who encouraged people to bring non-perishable food items to his
appearance that will be donated to striking Tyson Foods workers in
Jefferson, spoke for a half-hour. He later held private meetings at the
Memorial Union with Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin,
D-Madison, and Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin picketed the rally with a small number of
signs. The party rejected Dean's charges against Bush and labeled Dean a
"pessimist." The campaign of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry held
a waffle brunch Sunday in Madison to suggest Dean has waffled on issues.
Wisconsin will help decide which Democrat wins in its Feb. 17 primary.

Dean repeatedly told his audience Sunday, "we can do better."

Kelly Higgins, a UW-Madison sophomore from Watertown, liked what she heard.

"He understands what our generation stands for," she said.

Elizabeth Weber, a UW-Madison senior from Benton, also was impressed but
thought Dean spent too much time deriding Bush. She said she'll consider
voting for him because of his support for education and better fiscal
management.

"His state has kept its books in balance, which is better than the federal
government has done," Weber said.

Ron Konkol, a federal government worker from Madison, liked Dean's position
on taxes. Bush's tax cut "got down to people who have more than they can
spend already," Konkol said.