The DSBPI commends the Dean campaign on its ability to create community among strangers. In an atomized society, enhancing community is a challenge and a worthy cause. The latest online buzz, of course, is social networking; from Freindster to Spoke Networks to MeetUp.com, using machines to meet humans is an important digital development.

When the DSBPI thinks about social networks, what comes to mind is the most anonymous and omnipresent social interaction: the stock market. Billions of shares trading hands, from one person to another, anonymously through machines. The DSBPI would like to create a technology that enables human connection between buyers and sellers of shares, so that person A who just sold 100 shares of IBM to person B could connect with that buyer, sending him a message that he'd like to chat - figure out why person B is buying when he is selling, compare notes, whatever.

Of course there are endless details - privacy, security, regulatory - to work on. But we think it could be interesting to think it through.

For those interested in how the interrogation of Saddam could be going down, refer to The Kubark Manual for a primer on counterintelligence interrogation.

DSBPI is trying to answer to question: Is Dean good for the Jews?

Our initial hypothesis was "no." This hypothesis is primarily based on the success of Dean's grassroot campaign in enabling Dean to avoid the usual king makers of the democratic party with their attendant Jewish influence. Further, Dean's anti-Iraq war stance is not compatible with Israel's national security. He has also made a few verbal snafus in calling Hamas terrorists "soldiers" and calling for a more "evenhanded" approach to the PA (although we do think those were just beginner mistakes). And Dean has recently appointed Clyde Prestowitz to his foreign policy team, an author who calls for making America's aid to Israel contingent on an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and has said that America's Jewish lobby has prevented successive presidents from properly pressuring Israel.

On the other hand, DSBPI would like to highlight the often overlooked fact that Gov. Dean went to medical school at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine. That's right, he's a YU boy. Further, according to DSBPI research, Dean was in Israel one year ago last week on an AIPAC sponsored trip where he called for the ouster of Arafat and the approval of US loan guarantees. The co-chairman of Dean's campaign, Steve Grossman, has served as president of AIPAC and Dean has brought Matthew Dorf, the former bureau chief of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, on board to do outreach for Dean in the Jewish community. Jeremy Ben-Ami, fresh from a stint at the New Israel Fund, is Dean's Policy Director. Finally, Dean is an outspoken critic of House of Saud.

While DSBPI still holds on to its initial hypothesis, we will be tracking the candidate and digging through Lexis to fine tune the analysis.

Bashar Assad is likely digging his own little hole in the ground this morning. Saddam will spill the beans on his Northern neighbors (WMD transfer, etc.) and Assad, not wanting to end up living the Survivor-lifestyle, will be ready to deal.

Did anyone notice that Gore has adopted a strong southern accent? Perhaps he has spent too much time in Tenn. mending fences, literally.

News clip, with no comment. From SFGate.com

An eastern Iowa couple on hand to greet Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean and former Vice President Al Gore were greeted themselves -- by former President Clinton.
Dick Stater and his wife, Suzette Astley, of Lisbon, Iowa, traveled to the Cedar Rapids airport Tuesday to see Dean and Gore, who was in town to endorse the former Vermont governor. As they shook hands, Dean handed Stater a cell phone and said, "Say hello to Bill Clinton."

"I was stunned when he told us Bill Clinton was on the phone," said Astley, 52, a psychology professor at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. "It was very exciting."

Clinton said nothing to Stater that could be interpreted as an endorsement of Dean, according to the 52-year-old owner of a custom woodworking business.

"We didn't discuss the campaign," he said.

One of the best signs to come out of Iraq in a while, despite the rhetoric at the end: Commerce: With More Money to Spend, Middle-Class Iraqis Go Shopping.

Why will Gore endorse Dean? First, Gore loves the Internet. And Dean is all about the Internet for now. Later, Dean will have $1,000 a plate fundraisers coming out the wazoo, but for now he is the love child of moveon.org and meetup.com. Second, Gore's politics have also skewed leftward over the last year, in speech after speech he has moved further from the Clintonian third-way and closer to the Dean "my way or the high" way. Third, Dean has been giving Bush hell from the stump, surely a consoling feeling to the still bruised Al.

Why should Gore endorse Dean?

Because Dean will lose the general election and leave 2008 open for a Gore resurgence. To use a DSBPI hold ‘em analog, crowning Dean so early in the race is like raising before the flop with your pocket jacks – don’t want anyone else with a straight draw hanging around who could steal the pot. Gore’s torch passing will definitely sway some of the independents, thin the pack of dems and put Lieberdude in an awkward place. It will also endear the frenzied grassrooters to cast their lot with Gore.org in '08.

Gore is supporting Dean, stabbing Joseph in the back. Treachery.

The comparisons that the NYT Mag makes between the Dean campaign and the pre-millenial start-up frenzy is empty of the final chapter: the inevitable collapse.

As the NYT article reveals (not purposively) Dean's campaign is already beyond his control. In the analogy, he is the start-up CEO who can't take his hyper-growth seed idea to the next level. As long as free-money keeps pouring in to fund outlandish spending, he will thrive, as did the dot-coms. But we know it won't.

Apologies for the hiatus.