Private meetings

When Howard Dean met in private with a Vermont energy group, the participants were identified. The outcome of the hardball horse-trading that went on in that meeting was notable.

The task force's work resulted in Vermont having the first utility in the country to meet energy efficiency standards. It also freed the state's utilities from their deal with a Canadian power company, Hydro Quebec, that had left them near bankruptcy but passed as much as 90 percent of those costs to consumers. Utility shareholders also suffered some losses.

Both consumers and utilities benefited from Dean's negotiations. Who benefited from the Cheney task force?

Furthermore, what is right here? If secret meetings are OK, lay off Dean. If not, go after Cheney.

Actually, this episode shows how Dean has proven that he can get difficult things accomplished. That and a balanced budget, too.