Howard Dean is smooth. Very smooth. Clinton smooth. I saw him today at the Tom Potter for Mayor rally. For some reason, I expected there to be tons of security guards and bodyguards and stuff, but when I least expected it - he came around the corner with Tom Potter, and only handful of local democrats. He was so unprotected (and the event was so unorganized) that I was getting kinda nervous.

He walked up the sidewalk towards me. I stayed within a few feet of him and kept snapping digital pics along the way, but this photo [above] was taken by an unnamed city official who grabbed my digital camera from me and unexpectedly took a photo for me. [The perspective of the photo makes me look like Andre the Giant just about to squash the Howard Dean Keebler Elf with my camera - which is on the wrong shoulder, no less]

Anyway, I ran up to him as the event ended for a sound bite. I wanted to yell something funny like, "I want my ten dollars back!" but decided that it'd be a poor attempt at humor.

I inched closer, and he kept watching me out of the corner of his eye. He saw me get my microhone - WITH THE BIG FOX LOGO - all ready for an interview. Dean was very good at watching me, and not making eye contact or engaging me in any way - very smooth. Eventually I blurted out, "Governor, you have time for a quick question?" He stopped, stood his ground and said, "Um...sure." I blurted out a question ("what will it take to win a battle ground state like Oregon?") and he instantly threw me a perfect soundbite. And, right after he had this look on his face that said, "here comes the smart-ass counter-question". But it didn't. I just said, "Thanks!" and he politely smiled and walked away.

Smooth.

But, right after that a big, creepy guy who was stuffed into an undersized blue dress shirt, said to me, "Reporting the phony news?" - which was is an oh-so-clever thing to say to a Fox cameraman. Usually I just shrug stuff like that off, but he kept following me and saying, "Shouldn't you be reporting the phony news?!" So, I finally broke my prime directive rule [do not engage zealots, neo-cons, anarchists, or anti-media liberals in any sort of debate] and had an eight minute conversation with him about the role of LOCAL media, and the differences we have from the NATIONAL Fox News Channel. How much did he understand, or listen to? Probably not much. And, I have the unnerving feeling that this guy is gonna come back to haunt me in some way (good thing I didn't give him my business card).

But, I don't really care. I got to meet Howard Dean - one smooth BAMF.