BRUSH? BRUSH.

This morning The Hotline (sub. req.) ran Howard Dean's yearbook entry from his senior year at St. George's School in Newport, Rhode Island. It's pretty good. So good, in fact, Armed Prophet must reproduce the text in its entirety:

Howard Brush Dean, III

Honor roll '65; President, Library Committee; Business Manager Red and White '65-'66; Track '63-'66; Wrestling '65-'66; Football '64-'65; Council '64-'66; Prefect.

From the outside looking in, I am: A Prefect making a thousand announcements in assembly, a dorm prefect with a big stick, a big brother talking to Deacon or Benny, a solid conservative defending the powers of Student Council and lashing out at cynics and opponents, a business manager arguing with his editor, and a frequent occupant of the weight room. I can't see anything in perspective, I only live for the moment. I take each individual thing that comes along as the most important thing that ever happened: from elections, football games, grades, hell week, everything is in crisis. Some people tell me I shouldn't take things so seriously. St. George's has taught me in four years to respect A. Lincoln's saying that, 'you can't please all of the people all of the time.' I tried for three years, and realized in my fourth that he was right (I'm stubborn, that's why it took so long). Forget about the people you can't please; hang around with the ones you like. If you want to find out how everyone else sees me, read the top paragraph again. If you're the curious type who can put up with a temper, join the few who know me as I know me -- from the inside looking out.

Dean, stubborn? With a temper? You don't say! "Can't see anything in perspective"? Uh oh. A "solid conservative"? One might think that could hurt him with his base, but actually, that could help him move back to the center for the general election. Also, Dean a "frequent occupant of the weight room"? Maybe that's why he's so angry at the president; could be 'roid rage. (Just kidding.)

But I must legitimately quibble with one part of 18-year-old Dean's yearbook quote -- and it has to do with a quote. That is, he attributes the quotation

You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

to Lincoln. Actually, that particular quote belongs to the poet John Lydgate. But he wasn't too far off, because Lincoln did say:

You can fool some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time.

And that, folks, is why Dean may well capture the Democratic nomination but will never become president.