Dean Says Dems Forging Ahead on Issues

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that the recent controversy over his comments isn't going to stop congressional Democrats from focusing on issues like Social Security, gas prices and the war in Iraq.

"You know, I think a lot of this is exactly what the Republicans want, and that's a diversion," Dean said after meeting with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid about the Democrats' agenda for the next few weeks of Congress. "The truth is that we need to focus on exactly the issues that Harry Reid just talked about, and we're going to."






Dean's has come under fire for recent comments, including his observation that Republicans are "pretty much a white, Christian party." While some Democrats have joined the criticism of Dean, Reid refused to join in.

"No matter how people focus on other issues, we're going to talk about what we feel is so important to people all across this country," Reid said.