To the Point

Democrats Debate in NH, Try to Stop Dean-s Dominance

Not a single primary vote has been cast, but Al Gore says it-s time for Democrats to unify around the presidential candidacy of Howard Dean. Al Sharpton says that-s -bossism- that reeks of Tammany Hall. Yet many pundits and politicos agree that Dean, the professed outsider, now has the Inside track over his eight rivals. Even Republicans are worrying that, maybe Dean-s electable after all. Is Gore rejecting the centrist Third Way that worked so well for Bill Clinton? Will his endorsement of Dean help bring the party together or dramatize divisions only the voters can resolve? We hear from journalists in Washington, political scientists and pollsters, and the founder of the Progressive Policy Institute. Making News: Governor Schwarzenegger and the California Budget Stalemate Candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger said he-d solve California-s massive financial problems without touching education or cutting local government-s ability to provide for public safety. After three weeks in office, Governor Schwarzenegger has found he may not be able to keep those promises. Dan Walters is a syndicated columnist at the Sacramento Bee. Reporter's Notebook: Drug Companies and Medical Research at the NIH Pennsylvania-s Republican Congressman James Greenwood says he wants an end to what he calls -unacceptable and outrageous- practices at the National Institutes of Health, America-s $28 billion facility for developing drugs to cure human diseases. The Los Angeles Times reports that scientists on the public payroll are getting big money from the same companies whose products they-re testing. David Willman wrote the story.