Sounds like Dean is apologizing. I'm a Dean supporter. I think this is fairly good statement and one that should have been said last night followed by the entire qoute from the DNC speech.
"FULL TRANSCIPT OF CABLE NEWS COVERAGE
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Cooper Union - NYC
November 5, 2003
We're at a space today that's rich in our nation's history, a place where citizens have gathered for more than a century to debate the great issues of the day. From this platform and from this very podium, Abraham Lincoln spoke
nearly 150 years ago as a presidential candidate and when Lincoln came here, he did not shy away from talking about the greatest threat that our republic faced at that time which is the terrible institution of human slavery.
I will not shy away today either. The issue of the confederate flag has become an issue in this presidential race. Let me make this clear. I believe that we have one flag in this country, the flag of the United States of America.
I believe that the flag of the confederate states of America is a painful symbol and reminder of racial injustice and slavery which Lincoln denounced from here over 150 years ago. And I do not condone the use of the flag of the confederate states of America. I do believe that this country needs to engage in a serious discussion about race, and that everyone must participate in that discussion. I started this discussion in a clumsy way.
This discussion will be painful, and I regret the pain that I may have caused either to African-American or southern white voters in the beginning of this discussion. But we need to have this discussion in an honest open way.
We cannot leave any one person behind in this discussion, no matter what their color, no matter where they live. I understand Senator Edwards' concern last night that he not have people from the North to tell people from the South how to run their states. But we all need to understand that we are in this together. And that this will be a difficult and painful discussion, that feelings will be hurt, and what we must do is that people of good will must stay at the table.
If we are ever to vanquish the racism left over from 400 hundred years of slavery and Jim Crow, 40 or 50 years ago, the civil rights movement beginning to see relief from that, we can't think it is over, we must have the dialogue Bill Clinton promised us, we must continue that dialogue, and we must all be at the table, so I say, to those many of the people in the African American community have supported what i have said in the past few days, because they understand, some of have not, to those, I deeply regret the pain i have may caused. many of our white supporters have understood, but to those who do not, i regret the pain that I have caused. I will tell you, there is no easy way to do this. There will be pain as we discuss it, we must face it together. Hand in hand, as Dr. King and Abraham Lincoln asked us to do.