Thursday, December 11 2:00 PM EDT

Dean Garners More
Irrelevant Democrat Endorsements

Howard Dean, considered by many to be the front-runner in the Democratic race, followed Tuesday's endorsement by former VP and failed 2000 Democratic Presidential candidate Al Gore with more endorsements by other formerly prominent Democrats.

Michael Dukakis, Democratic candidate in 1988, followed Gore's announcement at the press event in Harlem. Dukakis took the podium after Gore's speech, and all the other follow-up events, including an appearance by Boone's Town Band, a New York based alternative rock band hired for the event.

"Howard Dean has shown he has the guts to beat George Bush," Dukakis said to a room of people walking away towards the lavish buffet and a chance to speak with Dean and Gore. His speech was cut short when the PA system was disconnected as workers packed up the site.

Walter Mondale, Democratic presidential contender in 1984 and failed stand-in for deceased Senator Paul Wellstone in 2002, held a joint press conference with George McGovern at the proposed site for the McGovern Library at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota.

"I'm here today to being my support to the campaign for the next President of the United States, Howard Dean," Mondale announced to the nearly vacant lot.

Nearly half of the teeming crowd of twenty people were members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota. At every pause in Mondale's speech, the Minnesotans cheered or booed loudly. The other half of the crowd, local North Dakotans, asked politely if the Minnesotans wouldn't mind keeping it down.

Senior reporter at the site, Kathy Hausman, Feature Editor at the Dakota Wesleyan Observer and a junior in the Psychology program, asked Mondale, "What do you think you can bring to the Dean campaign?"

"My vast experience in fighting difficult campaigns should help Dean create a winning strategy," Mondale replied. "I'm not exactly sure how, but we can win! I think."

McGovern took the podium next, looking slightly agitated at the hoots from the Minnesotans. McGovern smiled, looked over his note cards briefly, and then handed them to Hausman, saying, "Just take your notes from these. I'm too old for this crap."

Mondale was overheard telling McGovern, "Maybe we should have picked a location in a real city."

McGovern reportedly replied, "Shut up, Walter."

John Kerry's campaign, struggling for better polls, reportedly tried contacting former candidate Adlai Stevenson, but was told he had been dead since 1965.

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