Dean: Don't expect clear front-runner even after Feb. 5

Democratic Chairman Howard Dean said today he expects no clear decision on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee even after Feb. 5, the day more than 20 states hold primaries or caucuses. The comments came after Dean convened with the DNC's Executive Committee in Denver and offered a frank outlook on the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

"I don't believe it will be over by Feb. 5 by any stretch of the imagination," Dean said. He also said he hoped it would be decided by mid-March "because we have a lot of work to do." He called the possibility of a brokered convention "a nightmare."

The chairman said he's not currently concerned about the sniping between the Clinton and Obama campaigns, though he acknowledged an extended primary season could ratchet up the political heat.

"The truth is, it's not that ferocious yet, and I hope it doesn't get ferocious, and I obviously have some responsibility to make sure it doesn't," he said. "But it was much worse four years ago, and it's much, much worse on the Republican side.

"I don't want it to get personal, and we have a protocol for what to do if it does."

DENVER - Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean, along with members of the DNC's Executive Committee, will join Convention CEO Leah D. Daughtry and the staff of the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) for a service project at 3:00 p.m. on THURSDAY, January 10, 2008. In a project coordinated by the Colorado branch of Volunteers of America, Dean and the DNCC team will paint and plaster a room in need of repair at Manual High School and partner with students for a crafts project in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.As one of Denver's oldest schools, Manual first opened its doors in the 1890s. After a recent closure due to declining enrollment and low student performance, Manual re-opened its doors this past fall with a goal of emerging as one of Denver's premier high schools.

While Howard Dean acknowledged the potential convention fight in Denver over who wins the Democratic nomination would generate huge public interest, he said it would actually be "a nightmare" for him.

Which, incredibly, earned him a tiny bit of understanding from Colorado's Republican chairman.

"National chairs want things to be defined so they can start the fall campaign," Dick Wadhams said. "It diverts from the main event and I frankly sympathize with Dean on that."