In case you wonder what Howard Dean — of 2004 primal scream fame — thinks of the “softer, gentler” Obama plan:

“You really can’t do health reform” without allowing the government to compete with private insurers, said Howard Dean, a former Democratic Party chairman. “Let’s not say we’re doing health reform without a public option,” he added in a slap at the administration’s latest move.

Speaking of 2004, in my book Dean had the best moment of either the primary or general election campaign when he delivered this pep rally (first played back in reverse):