Vermont’s governor looks to get early start in Presidential race

The 53-year-old democrat Governor of Vermont’s in Iowa today, testing support for a run for the Presidency. Governor Howard Dean says democrats are ready for change and for someone who speaks their mind. Dean says he’d buck conventional wisdom and seek to rollback the tax cuts passed last summer. Dean believes economic issues will be at the forefront of the next presidential campaign, and he says George Bush has a flawed record on that score.Dean says democrats shouldn’t be intimidated by Bush’s public approval ratings. Dean says the President’s domestic agenda is absolutely wrong for the country. Iowa’s Caucuses, the first test for presidential candidates, are 22 months away, but this is Dean’s second trip to Iowa. He plans another in April and will spend a few weeks in the state in June. Dean says, “Iowa is very important to me. It’s a state I’m very comfortable in and basically if you ran a steamroller over Vermont it would look a lot like Iowa. The people are very similar.” He says Iowans like frank discussion and someone who’s willing to openly state their opinions.Dean, who’s a doctor, has been Vermont’s Governor since 1993.