Remember this time two years ago?  Howard Dean was running for president, Bush was defending the loss of liberties spelled out in the Patriot Act, and Iraq sucked.  Times have really changed...well, except for Bush.  And Iraq.

But two years ago, Howard Dean was taking grief over this statement:

"I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials."

What did the NRO's Andrew McCarthy have to say about Dean's statement?

Howard Dean's mistletoe buss for Osama bin Laden would, in sane times, disqualify him from serious contention for a major party's presidential nomination. If what he says is what he thinks, he is unfit. Case closed.

And about Bin Laden?

Americans (other than, evidently, Dr. Dean) know and expect that his fate, should he emerg