First Hundred Daze.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Democrats: Considering that Howard Dean believes that Osama bin Laden should be given the benefit of the doubt, but Tom DeLay shouldn't, perhaps it's understandable that party leaders don't want to be seen with him.

On Sunday, in his first national TV appearance since taking the reins as chairman of the Democratic National Committee 99 days earlier, Dean spent an hour with Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet The Press."

With presidents, the first 100 days are usually a benchmark for progress. But as Russert's pointed questions and Dean's rambling responses made clear, for Democrats it's a reminder that they're in a very big hole and that their choice for chairman …