“Howard,” said Professor of Political Science Darrell West, after Howard Dean walked through a side door and into the Salomon auditorium to flashbulbs, cheers, and a standing ovation, “I think they like you!” 

The former Vermont governor and Democratic presidential candidate was on campus in early September to deliver the annual Noah Krieger Memorial Lecture. An audience of about 800 people, mostly students, gathered inside Salomon to hear the talk; many others were turned away at the door. Reviewing some of the lessons of his unsuccessful primary campaign, he took pride in the large number of supporters willing to contribute small checks. “And we weren’t indebted to anyone in Washington,” he said, “which is probably one of the reasons we lost.”

Not surprisingly, Dean was critical of President Bush: “I think he actually convinces himself that what he’s saying is true.” He also talked about the use of the Internet in his campaign and implored students to stay active, telling them that voting alone would earn them no better than a D in his class. “You want an A, you’ve got to run for office,” he said. “Voting is not enough. We need you on the school board.”