I was in attendance at the Pantages Theater last Tuesday when Howard Dean stopped in Tacoma for a campaign rally. I was there not because I support his quest to be elected president of the United States, but to cover the event for the Index.

Politics is something I enjoy. I try to keep up with the issues o’ the day and – as readers of this column have no doubt noticed – I’m quite opinionated. What I am not, however, is one of those perennially fired-up political cheerleader types. In other words, you won’t ever see me standing on a street corner inhaling exhaust fumes from passing motorists, mindlessly waving a sign urging you to vote for a particular candidate. A jacket festooned with so many campaign buttons that it resembles a multi-colored suit of armor is a fashion statement I won’t be making. And you’ve got a better chance of finding a photograph of Houdini locking his keys in his car than you do of catching me making phone calls urging people to vote for a given candidate.

So, it was interesting to see the faithful fans of Dr. Dean gathered in Tacoma. In spite of their abundant enthusiasm, there was a rearranging-the-deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic undercurrent, as their candidate – the former front-runner – was getting shellacked during last week’s “Super Tuesday” event, and has yet to win a single state. (Dean has since indicated he’ll drop out if he doesn’t win in Wisconsin on Feb. 17.)

While I don’t much care for the overly-staged pep rallies that often pass for campaign stops these days, what really irked me was what Dean had to say. In my opinion, he said a lot of ridiculous things, portraying President Bush as a sinister and ineffective leader who is destroying America.

It took a certain amount of restraint not to leap up on stage, grab the microphone from his hand and verbally take him to task for some of the half-truths, exaggerations and outright lies he was telling. He confirmed in person, what I always thought he was: an angry little man who has no business occupying the White House.

But, he was preaching to the choir. He could have advocated clubbing baby seals and the crowd would have applauded. It was enough to make me scream, but I didn’t. Smartly, neither did Howard Dean.

“My Two Cents” is a weekly column where the author – not a member of the liberal mainstream media – gets in his two cents worth in spite of the old saying that you only get a penny for your thoughts.