Cragg Hines looks at how Dean muffed his Meet the Press interview. Hines is most concerned about Dean's flip on the death penalty. Dean has not been having a good week. First his son got arrested helping to break into a country club to steal beers. (Notice how much less press attention, this has been getting than Bush's daughters buying a drink.) Then Dean makes a joke about breaking into a country club. Not good.

Dean was asked how he would win support of Democratic Party leaders given his frequent criticism of them and he responded that the leaders would come around once they got to know him.

"It is a bit of a club down there," he said. "The Democratic Party, all the candidates from Washington, they all know each other, they all move in the same circles, and what I'm doing is breaking into the country club."

Paul Dean is accused of driving the car while three friends broke into an outbuilding at the country club to steal beer.

On Monday, Dean winced when he heard his own words.

"That was an incredibly unfortunate phrase," he said.

"Why do I say these things?" Dean asked a press aide.