Columnist Marjorie Williams may hold a grudge against the medical profession as a result of her own personal experiences, but she is wrong to take it out on presidential candidate Howard Dean.
Contrary to Ms. Williams’ assertion that Dean’s professional background as a doctor somehow prevents him from admitting mistakes, Dean has in fact been far more candid than other politicians in discussing shifts in his positions.
For instance, in the early 1990s, Dean was an opponent of the death penalty. However, some highly publicized murders of children brought him to his current view that the death penalty is justified for certain heinous crimes. Dean has been upfront about the change in his position and the events that brought it about.
Similarly, Dean has been open about his ambivalence about a federal balanced-budget amendment. Dean has supported such an amendment in the past, but he does not favor one now. Unlike most politicians, who would do almost anything to avoid being accused of “flip-flopping,” Dean did not hesitate in telling “Meet the Press:” “You know, I go back and forth on that.”
While Ms. Williams may have had unpleasant experiences with medical professionals, imagine what her treatment would have been like if her doctors had based their decisions on ideology or opinion polls instead of medical evidence.
Whether as a result of his medical training or his personal character, Dean makes decisions based on his understanding of the best available facts, and that is why I support his candidacy for president of the United States.
