I don't usually watch TV but tonight I saw Howard Dean on Charlie Rose, and Dean was pretty darned impressive. Admittedly, his smile looks a bit forced at times, but he was sharp and said exactly the right things.
What most impressed me was how quickly and articulately Dean responded to a range of questions. I ended up feeling relieved to have him as DNC chair.
Rose was baiting Dean on several occasions. In particular, he was trying to tap the conflict between Dean and Emanuel. But Dean wouldn't go for it. He basically said that they were all doing a great job, that they were working very well together, and that in fact the Democratic party is competing in some of the 50 states.
In response to some questions, he was also extremely candid in saying that he would not talk about certain topics on national TV. He did this in a way that seemed to say "Clearly it wouldn't be appropriate for me to address that so I'm not going to." The answer made complete sense; it came across as professional, not as dodging the issue.