Former Vermont governor Howard Dean opened the final week of campaigning before next week's crucial Iowa caucuses with a sharp attack on his leading rivals Monday, charging that they are part of a Washington establishment that failed to hold President Bush to account and that they cannot bring change to the capital or the country.
The campaign in Iowa remains extremely fluid, with many undecided voters. Dean's decision to push back against his opponents underscored concerns among his advisers and supporters that he has spent too much time on the defensive in recent weeks and that he has sometimes appeared rattled by rivals' attacks and lackluster in debate.
Dean's advisers have worried for some time about how other candidates can gang up on him. On Monday, Dean explained his new, more aggressive posture by saying, "I'm tired of being a pincushion here."